rejuvenate
Americanverb (used with object)
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rejuvenates,
present (3rd person singular)
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rejuvenated,
past participle, past
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rejuvenating
present participle
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to make young again; restore to youthful vigor, appearance, etc..
That vacation has certainly rejuvenated him.
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to restore to a former state; make fresh or new again.
to rejuvenate an old sofa.
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Physical Geography.
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to renew the activity, erosive power, etc., of (a stream) by uplift or by removal of a barrier in the stream bed.
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to impress again the characters of youthful topography on (a region) by the action of rejuvenated streams.
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verb (used without object)
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rejuvenates,
present (3rd person singular)
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rejuvenated,
past participle, past
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rejuvenating
present participle
verb
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to give new youth, restored vitality, or youthful appearance to
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(usually passive) geography
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to cause (a river) to begin eroding more vigorously to a new lower base level, usually because of uplift of the land
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to cause (a land surface) to develop youthful features
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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rejuvenationnoun
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rejuvenatornoun
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rejuvenativeadjective
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unrejuvenatedadjective
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unrejuvenatingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rejuvenatesimple
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rejuvenatessimple
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have rejuvenatedperfect
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has rejuvenatedperfect
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am rejuvenatingprogressive
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are rejuvenatingprogressive
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is rejuvenatingprogressive
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have been rejuvenatingperfect progressive
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has been rejuvenatingperfect progressive
Past
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rejuvenatedsimple
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had rejuvenatedperfect
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was rejuvenatingprogressive
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were rejuvenatingprogressive
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had been rejuvenatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rejuvenate
First recorded in 1800–10; re- + Latin juven(is) “young” + -ate 1; see also young
Explanation
When you make something young again or give it more life and energy, you rejuvenate it. For example, you can often rejuvenate a not-quite-dead plant, bringing it back to health with some water and some TLC. One way to remember the word rejuvenate is to pick it apart to its heart, the juve. This juve sounds like juvenile — which refers to youth. Add the prefix re, which means "again," and the "ate" suffix, which stands for "do or make." Put them all together and you get "make young again" — the meaning of rejuvenate. We all want to be younger, as witnessed by all the ads for products that promise to rejuvenate us through special cosmetics or foods or exercise equipment.
Vocabulary lists containing rejuvenate
Brave New World
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100 SAT words Beginning with "R"
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Prisoner B-3087
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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:
The idea is to rejuvenate and restore lost volume, which might come as a result of weight loss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Van Tassel said he received telepathic instructions for building a metal-free dome that could generate electrostatic energy and eventually help rejuvenate cells and make time travel possible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Dr Kelly spearheaded efforts to rejuvenate Glasgow in the 1980s, launching the famous Glasgow's Miles Better campaign before later becoming the rector of the University of Glasgow.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
Artificial intelligence, for example, has the potential to unlock significant cost savings, increase revenue across advertising, and rejuvenate intellectual property.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
Spirits flurried around inside her to rejuvenate whatever damage had been done as she rose and took an uneasy step forward.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
"Sometimes a move rejuvenates a player. He is the type of player you think as an ex-centre-back, I am glad I am not playing now."
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
We need a foreign-policy approach that rejuvenates our alliances and creates enduring and mutually beneficial ties around the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
"It rejuvenates the T-cells, making them more protective against tumors."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2025
Matter rejuvenates her tomato pots by sowing cover crops after cutting the tomato plant down.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 22, 2023
All my discoveries make headlines, but the most controversial is a soap that rejuvenates aging skin.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
“That was an important residency for us to have. It rejuvenated me,” Aaron adds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Only a rejuvenated Palestinian Authority can represent the Palestinian people on the world stage and negotiate a lasting peace with Israel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
"I thrive better in a warmer climate and feel rejuvenated."
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
However, after a halftime break honoring Sparks and Liberty legends like Lisa Leslie and Teresa Weatherspoon, among many others at half court, L.A. was rejuvenated for the final 20 minutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
The glow cast by the white and yellow letters instantly rejuvenated her.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
In West Bengal, Salim insists the party is again "regrouping, repositioning and rejuvenating".
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
“The Lawrence Tree” is emblematic of O’Keeffe at a pivotal and rejuvenating moment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Proposed reforms include banning duplicate listings, delisting underperforming companies, and rejuvenating a start-up exchange.
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
Every day of your multigenerational vacation probably won’t be as rejuvenating as you perhaps had hoped.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025
All around the dining hall, you can feel the rejuvenating effect that a good meal can bring on.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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.
