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:
They had the most sympathy with student complaints about the excessive size of classes and with the need to renovate the country's crumbling schools.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 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
He is said to have spent an astonishing $100 million to renovate it for a planned Beechwood Art Museum.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously approved $466.6 million in funding that will be doled out to developers, nonprofits, land trusts and other organizations to build and renovate affordable housing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
They force out the poisonous gases that cause fermentation of food and thoroughly clean, renovate, and restore the stomach so that it can digest food without all that excess gas.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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
The company improves common areas, fixes plumbing, roof and other building deficiencies and renovates apartments when people move out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 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
It renovates every thing by its vital heat, it illumines every thing by its flashing beams; it can neither be confined nor intermingled; it divides and yet is immutable.
From Tablets by Amos Bronson Alcott
In 1994, he moved his family to live in a renovated Peak District farmhouse which had been donated to NOS, jurors heard.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 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
The brand just flew more than 100 VICs—“very important clients”—to Milan Fashion Week, providing them with private access to da Vinci’s “Last Supper,” private dinners and a tour of its newly renovated store.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 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
Jule goes to a specialized academy housed in a renovated mansion on an ordinary street in New York City.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
The prime minister has sought to address the issue of missing teachers and renovating buildings that are dilapidated.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Prada’s strategy is on display beneath the soaring glass dome of Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, where the company spent more than three years renovating around its original 1913 store.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
They also have the opportunity to increase the value of their home by renovating the kitchen and doing other projects.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Roberts moved into her four-bedroom house in 2011 and spent two years renovating the property with her husband.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Perhaps Vincent thinks they are tearing it down, not renovating it.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
