refurbish
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has refurbishedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have refurbishedperfect
-
am refurbishingprogressive 1st person singular
-
has been refurbishingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
is refurbishingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
have been refurbishingperfect progressive
-
are refurbishingprogressive
-
refurbishingparticiple
-
refurbishessingular 3rd person
Past
-
had refurbishedperfect
-
had been refurbishingperfect progressive
-
were refurbishingprogressive plural
-
was refurbishingprogressive singular
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refurbishedparticiple
-
refurbishedsimple
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.
Under the agreement, British Steel will supply 120,000 tonnes of steel to refurbish two major ports in Lagos, with the contract worth £70m.
From BBC • Mar. 19, 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
Money to refurbish the jet is being pulled from leftover funds for a Pentagon program to replace aging nuclear missiles, according to the Air Force.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026
Boeing's delays have forced Emirates to refurbish much of its existing fleet, including its Airbus A380s which are now out of production.
From Barron's • Nov. 17, 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
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.
