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:
Schmitt: I’m glad you’re trying to rehabilitate the witness, but it’s not your time.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026
"This book and the run-up to next year's 30th anniversary of Diana's death threaten to undermine the Royal Household's three decades of work to rehabilitate Charles and Camilla's image," he says.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Wintour had worked to rehabilitate his image, and finally the moment had arrived: a multimillion-dollar party in his honor and a legacy-enshrining exhibit, both held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
"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
Even if it is just part of the temporary scheme to rehabilitate me, it is bliss.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
“I’m usually not a guy who rehabilitates someone when he writes about them,” Wolff told David Remnick on the New Yorker Radio Hour in July.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 15, 2025
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
The way she rehabilitates soils and water contaminated with oil and other chemicals is relatively simple.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2022
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
His attorney Michael Beckman once called Davis “the most rehabilitated inmate I’ve ever represented.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
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
The party rehabilitated him in the wake of Mao's death, tapping him for jobs at the Ministry of Petroleum and State Economic Commission.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Rhossi is the fourth sea turtle to be rescued and rehabilitated by the zoo over the past decade.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 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
Not like he understood the assignment of rehabilitating his image, but with the sincerity of someone who appreciates what’s actually hard.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
Sea otter mentorship is at the forefront of a formal partnership between the Aquarium of the Pacific and Monterey Bay Aquarium, which has been rehabilitating sea otters since the 1980s, according to Long.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
The star forward, who is rehabilitating from an Achilles tendon tear suffered in the playoffs last June, and has lately been practicing with the team, continues to sit out real action.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026
The veteran superstar had a back operation in September 2024 and was rehabilitating from that setback when he announced in March of 2025 that he had suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon.
From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026
Because all I ever think about is Jamie, and I’m supposed to be working on rehabilitating my mental health.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
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.
