rehabilitation
Britishnoun
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the act or process of rehabilitating
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med
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the treatment of physical disabilities by massage, electrotherapy, or exercises
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( as modifier )
rehabilitation centre
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Explanation
Rehabilitation is the act of restoring something to its original state, like the rehabilitation of the forest that had once been cleared for use as an amusement park. The noun rehabilitation comes from the Latin prefix re-, meaning “again” and habitare, meaning “make fit.” When something falls in to disrepair and needs to be restored to a better condition, it needs rehabilitation. People seek rehabilitation after an accident or surgery to restore their strength, or to learn to live without drugs or other addictive substances or behaviors.
Vocabulary lists containing rehabilitation
Flowers for Algernon
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A Long Way Gone
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower
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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.
Ministers will also explore strengthening Youth Rehabilitation Orders - community sentences given to children, which can include unpaid work, curfews, or a requirement to undertake treatment.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
That same day he was transferred to the Bluebell Rehabilitation Unit "at the taxpayers' expense" and was discharged two weeks later, the court was told.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
He directed questions about Reyes’ employment to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which didn’t immediately respond.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
Liu is also a professor at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, director of USC's Neurorestoration Center, and chair of neurosurgery at the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center.
From Science Daily • Feb. 6, 2026
A male Eleven named Benjamin had done his entire nearly-Four years in the Rehabilitation Center, working with citizens who had been injured.
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
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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.