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
When MPs and peers last voted on plans to refurbish Parliament in 2018, they backed a motion to leave the building to allow essential repairs.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026
Restore Robotics doesn’t yet have regulatory approval to refurbish Intuitive’s Surgical’s da Vinci 5 systems, which should comprise a growing share of procedures in the coming years, the firm pointed out.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
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
During the winter season the department typically takes a break in mosquito surveillance and refurbishes their traps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
The company then refurbishes and resells the suitcases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
Music Magpie refurbishes about 400,000 tech items every year.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2022
BBB, a privately held Alabama-based company which refurbishes car parts, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
From Reuters ● Aug. 2, 2022
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
The Buckhorn Restaurant at Cuyama Buckhorn, a midcentury roadside hotel refurbished in 2018, serves as the perfect respite.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
If you buy a refurbished phone like Fudge’s, restore it to factory settings before use, experts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Lumo operates its West Coast services with refurbished Class 222 Meridian trains.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Twain bought the retreat for $3,250,000 in the early 1990s, then refurbished and expanded the 28,000-square-foot residence to add a recording studio.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
It’s really just a big warehouse that a bunch of families bought and refurbished a long time ago.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
Part of the plan includes resurrecting dormant neighborhoods by refurbishing homes and building new ones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 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
Building the synchrotron and the hot lab and refurbishing the 184-inch would cost at least another $605,000.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
