refurbish
Americanverb (used with object)
-
refurbishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
refurbished,
past participle, past
-
refurbishing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
refurbishsimple
-
refurbishessimple
-
have refurbishedperfect
-
has refurbishedperfect
-
am refurbishingprogressive
-
are refurbishingprogressive
-
is refurbishingprogressive
-
have been refurbishingperfect progressive
-
has been refurbishingperfect progressive
Past
-
refurbishedsimple
-
had refurbishedperfect
-
was refurbishingprogressive
-
were refurbishingprogressive
-
had been refurbishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of refurbish
Explanation
Whether it’s a bike, an old computer, or a tennis stadium, when you refurbish something you clean it up and make it look or perform better. When you refurbish something, you generally keep the structure the same but improve its looks and possibly its functionality. For example, if you renovate a room you may make it "new again" with structural changes, such as tearing down walls and altering its original design. If you refurbish it, however, you will most likely focus on making it look better with cosmetic changes, such as painting it. The word refurbish is also often used to describe secondhand technology that has been rebuilt to restore function by replacing a component that has failed.
Vocabulary lists containing refurbish
100 SAT words Beginning with "R"
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The Suffix -ish, Part 2
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Undefeated
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Apple will have to streamline its process for reclaiming leased hardware and be prepared to refurbish devices at scale once customers return them, Feinseth said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
While I fruitlessly tapped my L.A. street art connections, Valdez posted in Goodbye Pillarhenge Park: “Looking for the original artist to refurbish the bird.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Privately held Restore Robotics has the legal clearance to refurbish used da Vinci surgical robotic instruments, which it then sells back to hospitals at a discount.
From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026
The raffle supported Birmingham's Heartlands Hospital, which is seeking £150,000 to refurbish its cancer treatment centre.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025
This would be a time to find a sheltered place beside a stream to rest and refurbish.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
Tools for Self Reliance, based in Netley Marsh, Hampshire, collects and refurbishes equipment no longer needed in the UK and sends it abroad to help fledgling businesses.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
The company then refurbishes and resells the suitcases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
Recently I got really into watching this person who finds furniture on the street and refurbishes it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2025
Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, said the U.S. no longer buys new Abrams, but uses older ones as “seed vehicles” and refurbishes them.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 25, 2023
He worked in the barbershop for a while, then got a job working for Free Venture, an environmentally certified nonprofit that refurbishes and recycles e-waste on-site.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
They added that, once restored and refurbished, the building would be "used for the benefit of the wider community of Middleton who rightly cherish it as an important part of Middleton's rich and varied heritage".
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
If brands want to keep their customer acquisition funnel alive, they have to stop fending off the refurbished market and start owning it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
It will be located on the former site of the Golden Bear Theatre and will overlook the recently refurbished kiddie area, Looney Tunes Land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
After detaching from the rocket's center core, the two boosters returned safely to the launch site, where they can be refurbished.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
Within a few months, the family moved into a refurbished house with a completely renovated kitchen.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
The sale proceeds are held for the benefit of newly-formed congregations to cover the costs of maintaining, refurbishing and developing other buildings they own.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
The leasing option could also benefit Apple’s refurbishing program, Feinseth said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Millions of euros were spent refurbishing the old yellow building, which now looks very different from before.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
He has an unusual business model, finding bikes at yard sales and sometimes making bulk deals, refurbishing them and selling far below what they would cost new.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
As gracious as when he presented the check for refurbishing the Daughters of the Immaculate Heart library.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
