refurbish
Americanverb (used with object)
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
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refurbishedsimple
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had refurbishedperfect
-
was refurbishingprogressive
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were refurbishingprogressive
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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
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
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
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
UK Gym Equipment refurbishes and sells anything that you can find in a gym - treadmills, cross trainers, bikes, rowers and strength machines.
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 building has now been substantially refurbished and its facade changed, but it has been a huge headache for Austrian authorities, who want to prevent it from becoming a site of neo-Nazi pilgrimage.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 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
Hearn has told US media he visited the refurbished pool after a bike ride and noticed a piece of partially detached "American blue" paint liner.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
They’re trying to sell refurbished iPod Nanos, because kids are into iPods again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
B-block was refurbished and reopened as a “transit block,” supposedly holding inmates for limited times.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
The leasing option could also benefit Apple’s refurbishing program, Feinseth said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Several Nigerian businessmen are alleged to have bankrolled huge spending sprees, including more than £2m at luxury store Harrods and £4.6m on refurbishing homes in London and Buckinghamshire.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026
Prologis has analyzed its land portfolio, identifying properties that could be suitable for data centers, either through new construction or refurbishing existing warehouses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026
There have been worries about the progress of the rollout of its new surgery robot, the da Vinci 5, and worries about competitors getting into the business of refurbishing and reselling used Intuitive parts.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2025
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.
