rebuild

verb

re·​build (ˌ)rē-ˈbild 

rebuilt (ˌ)rē-ˈbilt  ; rebuilding

transitive verb

1

a

: to make extensive repairs to : reconstruct

rebuild a war-torn city

b

: to restore to a previous state

rebuild inventories

2

: to make extensive changes in : remodel

rebuild society

intransitive verb

: to build again

planned to rebuild after the fire

Choose the Right Synonym for rebuild

mend, repair, patch, rebuild mean to put into good order something that is injured, damaged, or defective.

mend implies making whole or sound something broken, torn, or injured.

mended the torn dress

repair applies to the fixing of more extensive damage or dilapidation.

repaired the back steps

patch implies an often temporary fixing of a hole or break with new material.

patch worn jeans

rebuild suggests making like new without completely replacing.

a rebuilt automobile engine

Examples of rebuild in a Sentence

He rebuilt his house after it was destroyed by a fire.

They tried to rebuild after the earthquake.

The new owner plans to rebuild the franchise.

The team is rebuilding after losing most of its top players.

Recent Examples on the Web

The unusual trade seemed to indicate the rebuilding Nets didn’t expect to be particularly competitive this season and envisioned themselves picking toward the top of the 2025 draft, where Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is the coveted prize. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 17 Feb. 2025

Hibino’s firm rebuilt a kindergarten in Fukushima following the disastrous 2011 earthquake that claimed over 18,000 lives and caused the meltdown of three nuclear power reactors. —Natalie Donback, TIME, 17 Feb. 2025

That can exacerbate pricing pressures already expected as the Los Angeles community rebuilds in the wake of last month’s wildfires. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2025

Few Indian movies have so gently zeroed in on the way mental health conditions are used as a pretext to strip people of their humanity, even though the camera rarely probes Sundar enough to rebuild his personhood from the inside-out, or dramatize whatever haunts his waking moments. —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 16 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1537, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

rebuild

verb

re·​build (ˈ)rē-ˈbild 

rebuilt -ˈbilt  ; rebuilding

1

: to make important repairs to or changes in

rebuild an old house

2

: to build again

planned to rebuild after the fire