verb
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to restore (something) to good condition
to renovate paintings
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to revive or refresh (one's spirits, health, etc)
Usage
What does renovate mean? Renovate most commonly means to make improvements or changes to a structure, especially to the inside of a home or other kind of building. For example, a homeowner might renovate a room in their house by painting it and getting new flooring. This is often much more extensive: renovating a kitchen can involve getting new cabinets and appliances as well as new painting and new flooring, perhaps even a new layout. Some people renovate their homes themselves, while others hire a contractor to do it. The process of renovating is called renovation. The word renovation can also refer to such a project, as in This renovation is going way over budget. The word renovated can be used as an adjective to describe spaces that have been improved in this way, as in a newly renovated kitchen. More generally, renovate means to restore something to good condition—to repair or refurbish it. However, outside of the context of home improvement, the terms restore, refurbish, and repair are more often used. Renovate can also mean to reinvigorate, refresh, or revive, but this sense of the word isn’t commonly used either. Example: I’m planning to renovate the bathroom with new tile and a new vanity.
Synonym Usage
See renew.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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renovationnoun
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renovatornoun
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renovatableadjective
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renovativeadjective
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unrenovatedadjective
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unrenovativeadjective
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renovatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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renovatesimple
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renovatessimple
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have renovatedperfect
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has renovatedperfect
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am renovatingprogressive
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are renovatingprogressive
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is renovatingprogressive
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have been renovatingperfect progressive
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has been renovatingperfect progressive
Past
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renovatedsimple
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had renovatedperfect
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was renovatingprogressive
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were renovatingprogressive
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had been renovatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of renovate
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English (adjective), from Latin renovātus (past participle of renovāre ), equivalent to re- re- + novus new + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
To renovate means to renew or rebuild so that something is in good condition. When you move into an old house, you will probably want to renovate the kitchen and bathrooms. Most usages of the word renovate revolve around buildings and architecture. During a generation change in a neighborhood, retired people move out and young families move in. They want to give new life to the old house they have bought so they renovate it by painting, redoing the floors, etc. If you renovate a historic building, you restore to its original splendor. Think of this sense of renewal if something renovates your spirits.
Vocabulary lists containing renovate
Brand Spankin' New: Words with Neo- and Nov-
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Power Prefix: re-
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The Westing Game
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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:
A keen golfer, Trump wants to renovate the municipal course, which he has described as dilapidated, saying it could eventually host major tournaments.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
The model is helping real-estate investors buy, renovate and rent out vacant and dilapidated homes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
In October 1998, 500,000 pupils marched across France over similar demands, resulting in almost €1bn to renovate schools and 14,000 extra staff.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
He is said to have spent an astonishing $100 million to renovate it for a planned Beechwood Art Museum.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
“She’s conservative with her spending, and usually only wants to pay for repairs and such. It took her a while to finally renovate the lobby. I’m sorry. My hands are tied.”
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
Prices may go up as supply contracts, insurance payments flood in, and investment renovates buildings to code; prices may go down as rising premiums and maintenance fees get tacked on.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2024
Since 2022 Trixie's also had her own show on Discovery+, Trixie Motel, which follows the drag queen as she renovates a motel in California.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2024
Beyond the Carter Center, the couple became the most famous volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, the international outfit that builds, repairs and renovates homes for low-income people.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 6, 2023
Through this initiative, Ivorian artistic director Lemon Otto renovates external facades of older building such as Pyramid, which was completed in 1973 under the direction of the Italian architect Rinaldo Olivieri.
From Reuters ● Apr. 24, 2023
What however must be ever present is the Will by which man every moment of his life renovates his own personality.
From The Reform of Education by Giovanni Gentile
Stone work has been renovated and a partition wall between the two houses has been knocked down to create a light and airy space which shows off the historic architecture and living plants.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
She picked up one abode in 2017 for just under $10 million but sold that off just three years later, having renovated the home extensively before deciding to put it back on the market.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Some of the old cinemas have been restored and renovated, and the single-screen experience still has its devotees.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Some buildings are still closed, but many have been renovated or reimagined, like one damaged structure that has been turned into an outdoor skating rink.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
Within a few months, the family moved into a refurbished house with a completely renovated kitchen.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Should I sell my house because of dangerous stairs — or spend thousands renovating?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
The prime minister has sought to address the issue of missing teachers and renovating buildings that are dilapidated.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Nearly every project he has undertaken or planned, from resurfacing the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to renovating a public golf course, has been met with legal challenges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Lavoie plans to use his money from selling some of his shares to fund a hotel he is renovating in Pontebba, Italy's northeastern Friuli region, plus a small brewery.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Mohamed, my best friend, couldn’t come because he and his father were renovating their thatched- roof kitchen that day.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
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.
