retread
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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a tire that has been retreaded.
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Slang. a person returned to active work after retirement, dismissal, etc.
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a person retrained for a new or more modern job or task.
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Informal. a repeating, reviving, or reworking of an old or familiar idea, presentation, story, etc., especially when unimaginative or hackneyed; rehash.
a boring retread of a classic movie.
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Slang. a person representing older or previous times, ideas, policies, etc., especially when they are deemed passé or tiresome.
verb
noun
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another word for remould
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informal a pensioner who has resumed employment, esp in a former profession
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a film, piece of music, etc, which is a superficially altered version of an earlier original
Etymology
Origin of retread
Explanation
When you do the same thing again, or walk along the same path, you retread. You might love a writer's first book, but you'll still be disappointed if she only retreads the same plot in her second one. You can, quite literally, retread your steps through the woods to find the beautiful grove of ferns you saw yesterday. You can also figuratively retread: "That candidate just retreads the same points over and over again!" When a car mechanic uses this word, it means "put new treads on a tire," or as a noun, the new surface of the tire itself. During World War I, retread was Australian slang for a "re-enlisted soldier."
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.
Similarly, Raymond James analyst Chris Meekins said the plan unveiled on Thursday is “a retread of previously advocated-for positions and there is no legislative path forward for much of it, in our view.”
From MarketWatch • Jan. 15, 2026
More than once, naysayers dismissed it as an “ER” retread – which, given that it stars Noah Wyle, who also executive produces alongside “ER” showrunner John Wells, is understandable.
From Salon • Dec. 17, 2025
But what if what seemed a tired retread was actually poised on the cutting edge of televised entertainment?
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025
If “Shadow of the Vampire” was a playful spin, Eggers’ “Nosferatu” is an utterly straight-faced and interminably dull retread of the 1922 original.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2024
He turned, as these thoughts passed through his mind, and began hastily to retread his footsteps towards the castle.
From The Abbot by Scott, Walter, Sir
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.
