rebuild
Americanverb (used with object)
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to repair, especially to dismantle and reassemble with new parts.
to rebuild an old car.
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to replace, restrengthen, or reinforce.
to rebuild an army.
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to revise, reshape, or reorganize.
to rebuild a shattered career.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to make, construct, or form again
the cost of rebuilding the house
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(tr) to restore (a system or situation) to a previous condition
his struggle to rebuild his life
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rebuildsimple
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rebuildssimple
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have rebuildedperfect
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have rebuiltperfect
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has rebuildedperfect
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has rebuiltperfect
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am rebuildingprogressive
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are rebuildingprogressive
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is rebuildingprogressive
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have been rebuildingperfect progressive
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has been rebuildingperfect progressive
Past
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rebuildedsimple
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rebuiltsimple
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had rebuildedperfect
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had rebuiltperfect
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was rebuildingprogressive
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were rebuildingprogressive
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had been rebuildingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rebuild
Explanation
When you construct something again, you rebuild it. If the chair you made from scraps of wood collapses when you sit in it, you can either rebuild it or give up on the idea of making your own furniture. When a natural disaster — like a hurricane or a tornado — destroys people's houses, they usually need the community's help to rebuild them. Before modern fire departments existed, several cities in the United States burned in terrible fires, destroying nearly all the homes and businesses. These cities had to rebuild, which they often did using less flammable materials, like bricks, rather than just wood.
Vocabulary lists containing rebuild
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.
“We don’t want Lineage to rebuild now, or ever again,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026
The price declines also followed a sharp drop in bird flu cases, giving companies time to rebuild flocks as consumer demand waned.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
Reflecting on the massive challenge that awaits him and all Venezuelans to rebuild their lives, he said: "Let's take it one step at a time; we have to live one day at a time."
From Barron's • Jun. 30, 2026
In his first Substack blog post - on which the comment function is not enabled - Edwards said he was "attempting to rebuild some kind of worthwhile life".
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
My heart swells to hear that people in America consider this place a historic treasure and are helping to fix it—like when so many people back home pitched in to rebuild our mosque.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
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.
