retread

American  

[ree-tred, ree-tred] / riˈtrɛd, ˈriˌtrɛd /

verb (used with object)

retreaded, retreading

1. to put a new tread on (a worn pneumatic tire casing) either by recapping or by cutting fresh treads in the smooth surface.

2. to repeat or do over, especially without the boldness or inventiveness of the original.

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noun

1. a tire that has been retreaded.

2. Slang. a person returned to active work after retirement, dismissal, etc.

3. a person retrained for a new or more modern job or task.

4. 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.

5. Slang. a person representing older or previous times, ideas, policies, etc., especially when they are deemed passé or tiresome.

retread British  

verb

1. (tr) another word for remould

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noun

1. another word for remould

2. informal a pensioner who has resumed employment, esp in a former profession

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

Etymology

Origin of retread

First recorded in 1885–90; re- + tread

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

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

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

On its face, the film appears to be a comedic retread of the classic thriller, finding humor in Paul’s predicament and amplifying it by portraying Annie as a fast-talking, semi-neurotic Brooklynite.

From Salon • Jul. 25, 2025

Such an outlandish spectacle captures how “Gladiator II” doesn’t merely retread what had come before.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2024

Napoleon, irritated at this, acrimoniously replied, that "he liked simple plans, less circuitous routes, high roads, the road by which he had come, yet he would not retread it but with peace."

From History of the Expedition to Russia Undertaken by the Emperor Napoleon in the Year 1812 by Ségur, Philippe-Paul, comte de

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