rehabilitate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
rehabilitates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rehabilitated,
past participle, past
-
rehabilitating
present participle
-
to restore to a condition of good health, ability to work, or the like.
-
to restore to good condition, operation, or management, as a bankrupt business.
- Synonyms:
- refurbish, reconstruct, recondition, restore, salvage
-
to reestablish the good reputation of (a person, one's character or name, etc.).
-
to restore formally to former capacity, standing, rank, rights, or privileges.
verb (used without object)
-
rehabilitates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rehabilitated,
past participle, past
-
rehabilitating
present participle
verb
-
to help (a person who has acquired a disability or addiction or who has just been released from prison) to readapt to society or a new job, as by vocational guidance, retraining, or therapy
-
to restore to a former position or rank
-
to restore the good reputation of
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
nonrehabilitationnoun
-
rehabilitationnoun
-
rehabilitatornoun
-
nonrehabilitativeadjective
-
rehabilitativeadjective
-
unrehabilitatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rehabilitatesimple
-
rehabilitatessimple
-
have rehabilitatedperfect
-
has rehabilitatedperfect
-
am rehabilitatingprogressive
-
are rehabilitatingprogressive
-
is rehabilitatingprogressive
-
have been rehabilitatingperfect progressive
-
has been rehabilitatingperfect progressive
Past
-
rehabilitatedsimple
-
had rehabilitatedperfect
-
was rehabilitatingprogressive
-
were rehabilitatingprogressive
-
had been rehabilitatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rehabilitate
1570–80; < Medieval Latin rehabilitātus, past participle of rehabilitāre to restore. See re-, habilitate
Explanation
If you have been in a bad accident or have an addiction problem, you may go away for a stretch of time to rehabilitate yourself or, in other words, bring yourself back to health. Though we hear a lot about rehabilitation or "rehab" in the press in connection with drugs or alcohol, the word rehabilitate has a lot of other meanings. You can rehabilitate a building's structure by reinforcing it with steel beams, or rehabilitate your bad reputation by staying after school to help clean up the grounds.
Vocabulary lists containing rehabilitate
"A Retrieved Reformation" by O. Henry
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Word Generation Social Studies - Complex Questions Related to American Democracy
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Frightful's Mountain
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
"The Authority's specialised teams have begun the technical and operational assessment of the airport, its facilities and systems, in preparation for developing a plan to rehabilitate it," Hasri said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
But he said the Tartan Army had helped rehabilitate the image.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
But Epstein courted influence and rubbed shoulders with prominent individuals associated with both parties in his efforts to rehabilitate his reputation.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
The largest share, $235 million, will be used to rehabilitate the Delta-Mendota Canal, which carries water to farmlands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
“Of course. I can’t rehabilitate this eagle without you,” she says.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
If he rehabilitates successfully and develops his game after a fine debut season, he seems destined to become one of the world's leading strikers.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
The author rehabilitates the Greek Arachne—unfairly condemned to be a spider because of her creative ability—then returns us to Spider Woman and Spider Grandmother, the kindly, creative beings who bring life and wisdom to humankind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
Its return will be “empowering” and restore “hope” as it supercharges conservation efforts and rehabilitates a vital piece of Māori cultural heritage.
From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2025
A mountain regional park and a conservation center that rescues and rehabilitates wildlife are also nearby.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 29, 2023
It is this personal EXPERIENCE, this exaltation, this sense of immediate, non-intellectual revelation, of mystical oneness with all things, that again and again rehabilitates a ritual otherwise moribund.
From Darwin and Modern Science by A. C. (Albert Charles) Seward
This looked like a humiliation ritual to me: Crowley wasn’t polling competitively even when he was actively campaigning, and it seemed unlikely that his brand could be rehabilitated with such little time left.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said he had been rehabilitated, adding he had "shown contrition for his crimes".
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Any lingering doubts that Richard Milhous Nixon is totally rehabilitated were put to rest, even to sleep, last Thursday at the Houston Grand Opera.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
She’s the latest patient to graduate from the Long Beach aquarium, which has rehabilitated sea turtles for more than 25 years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
Right now, I’m researching if there’s some community justice center for wildlife, a place where maybe she could be rehabilitated or something and then released.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Alcaraz’s been out rehabilitating a wrist he injured after winning the Australian Open in February.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
He spent all of the 2024 season and the first half of the 2025 season rehabilitating from elbow surgery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
The Zambian segment of the Lobito Corridor -- often described as the missing link -- is not on LAR's near-term agenda, he added, citing the scale and cost of rehabilitating the rail infrastructure.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
He spent seven months rehabilitating his knee in order to be fit for the Ashes and lamented not being able to play some games for his county before heading to Australia for the series.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
This Circle needs to know that Peter Driscal is not rehabilitating well, either physically or emotionally.
From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen
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.
