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.
Related Words
See renew.
Other Word Forms
- renovatable adjective
- renovatingly adverb
- renovation noun
- renovative adjective
- renovator noun
- unrenovated adjective
- unrenovative adjective
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
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.
Lawmakers recently approved $365 million in public funding to renovate Portland’s 30-year-old Moda Center, home to the Blazers, one of Oregon’s most prominent businesses.
From Salon • Mar. 30, 2026
He hired an architect, and they began to renovate.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
Emily and Stephen had decided to renovate their kitchen, so it was a good opportunity to get some disruptive work done.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
As well as incentives to build new homes, the measure includes programs to convert abandoned buildings into housing developments and grants to renovate existing properties.
From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026
I tracked down the owner of the abandoned house, and once the papers were all signed and it was mine, I arranged for Marcus to help me renovate.
From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick
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.
