retread

[ verb ree-tred; noun ree-tred ]

See synonyms for retread on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),re·tread·ed, re·tread·ing.

to put a new tread on (a worn pneumatic tire casing) either by recapping or by cutting fresh treads in the smooth surface.
to repeat or do over, especially without the boldness or inventiveness of the original.

noun

a tire that has been retreaded.
Slang. a person returned to active work after retirement, dismissal, etc.

a person retrained for a new or more modern job or task.
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.
Slang. a person representing older or previous times, ideas, policies, etc., especially when they are deemed passé or tiresome.

Origin of retread

First recorded in 1885–90; re- + tread

Words Nearby retread

Other definitions for re-tread (2 of 2)

re-tread

[ ree-tred ]

verb (used with or without object),re-trod, re-trod·den or re-trod, re-tread·ing.

to tread again.

Origin of re-tread

First recorded in 1590–1600; re- + tread

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use retread in a sentence

Across more than two decades, the franchise has been using a collection of retreads, burnouts, stopgaps and castoffs to fill the sport’s most important role.
The Denver Broncos Traded For Russell Wilson To End Their QB Merry-Go-Round | Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com) | March 11, 2022 | FiveThirtyEight
Depending on who you ask, that sounds like a derivative retread or box office gold.
The Most Anticipated Movies of Summer 2021 | Peter Allen Clark | May 12, 2021 | Time
Such retread stories from the past, they say, do not worry them.
Hillary’s Outside Enforcers Are Led by a Former Foe | David Freedlander | July 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And this never-never tepid retread of a Bush-era policy is, incredibly, the only actual policy on offer.
The Flapdoodle Campaign | Megan McArdle | October 23, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Instead he mocked them and rehashed old ideas with retread rhetoric.
Paul Begala on Mitt Romney’s Epic Fail in His GOP Convention Speech | Paul Begala | August 31, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

The line was a retread from his speech in 2008, where he used an almost identical opener.
Live from Right-Wing Central | John Avlon, Benjamin Sarlin | February 18, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
Nor is his often-riveting new memoir an exercise in nostalgia, apologia, or retread rhetoric.
The Accidental Radical | John Douglas Marshall | April 27, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
He turned, as these thoughts passed through his mind, and began hastily to retread his footsteps towards the castle.
The Abbot | Sir Walter Scott
I was not insensible that my path became more intricate and more difficult to retread in proportion as I advanced.
Edgar Huntley | Charles Brockden Brown
Well, would you walk into the Center for a retread now without being sure he's wrong?
Martyr | Alan Edward Nourse
On examination we found that there was no outlet practicable for us in this channel, and that we must retread our steps.
History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, Vol. I. | Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
McKenzie was getting old, he wanted a retread, and wanted it badly.
Martyr | Alan Edward Nourse

British Dictionary definitions for retread (1 of 2)

retread

verb(riːˈtrɛd) -treads, -treading or -treaded

(tr) another word for remould (def. 2)

noun(ˈriːˌtrɛd)

another word for remould (def. 3)
Australian and NZ informal a pensioner who has resumed employment, esp in a former profession

a film, piece of music, etc, which is a superficially altered version of an earlier original

British Dictionary definitions for re-tread (2 of 2)

re-tread

/ (riːˈtrɛd) /

verb-treads, -treading, -trod, -trodden or -trod

(tr) to tread or walk over (one's steps) again

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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