rewire

verb

re·​wire (ˌ)rē-ˈwī(-ə)r 

rewired; rewiring

transitive verb

1

: to provide or connect (something) with wire again

especially : to replace the electrical wiring of (something, such as a building or electronic device)

rewired the house

rewire a circuit board

2

: to make lasting and usually beneficial changes to the neurological or psychological functioning of (a person or brain)

—not used technically

The injured brain, moreover, can rewire itself.

—Joan Didion

Not only do studies show that meditation is boosting their immune system, but brain scans suggest that it may be rewiring their brains to reduce stress.

—Joel Stein

… nearly nine out of 10 adult smokers started smoking by age 18; nicotine can rewire youths' brains, making heroin and other opioids even more addictive.

—Delia DeRiggiWhitton

Can you rewire yourself? I went back through pivotal points in my life, when one should be happy.

—Kim Korson

Examples of rewire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dell computers is gonna, basically, we’re have to rip out all the server farms and rewire them. —Andy Mills, Quartz, 20 June 2024

This fusion of fragility and path dependence derives from many factors that are not easily rewired: geography, a national-imperial identity, an ingrained strategic culture. —Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2024

The existing station fixtures have to be rewired in order to accept LEDs, Crichlow said, so the job is not as simple as swapping bulbs. —Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2024

Although periodical cicadas only appear for a few weeks, their blip above ground can rewire entire forest food webs, with knock-on effects that last for years. —Benji Jones, Vox, 3 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1