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:
Nike also agreed to design “custom uniform collections” for the USC men’s and women’s basketball programs and to renovate the USC Bookstore.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
The president went on to say he planned to renovate a "dilapidated, worn out, and very dangerous" golf course in Washington called East Potomac Golf Links, located on an island in the Potomac River.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
There are also subsidies to buy a bigger car or renovate your home.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
After Cooper’s ruling, Trump signaled he was backing away from plans to renovate the building, even though the order said capital repair work could continue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
“I need to see some design ideas for when I buy my own run-down house in Bushwick and renovate it,” she says in a dreamy, la-la-land voice.
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
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
What however must be ever present is the Will by which man every moment of his life renovates his own personality.
From The Reform of Education by Gentile, Giovanni
Ms. Smith travels through Bosnia and Kosovo and sees how Mr. Erdoğan’s government has renovated mosques and opened Turkish-language schools there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Between 2016 and 2025, 539 were built, with a further 586 being renovated, external.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The $14.7-million repainting of the Reflecting Pool became particularly controversial last month after algae overtook the renovated pool and the new paint appeared to peel off.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
A former US Olympian accused of vandalizing Washington's newly renovated Reflecting Pool was charged on Thursday with a felony and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted, a federal prosecutor said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Chicago had recently renovated its fire alarm system, making it one of the best in the nation.
From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy
The project’s funding is restricted to renovating the campus and does not include the conservation of the Watts Towers themselves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Bloom spent a year and a half renovating the home.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Despite its shortcomings, he started renovating the Old House and its 5.5 acres.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Plenty of ideas are already in the air about how to spend the windfall: new pavements, renovating the school or offering home-help services.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
Soon they were living in this house, while renovating their original house on Dart, and renting out the other house next door.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
