retrofit
verb
Did you know?
The concept of retrofitting became an urgent necessity during World War II, when weapons technology was advancing at an intense pace and planes and ships were becoming outdated even before their construction was complete, and the only solution was to retrofit the completed craft with the brand-new technology. Retrofitting was revived on a massive scale during the energy crisis of the 1970s, when new features were added to millions of old houses to make them more energy-efficient. Retrofitting is thus different from merely renovating, which may not involve any new technology at all.
Examples of retrofit in a Sentence
Vinod Bijlani, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
New financial players such as Venmo are now offering debit cards, retrofitting them with reward programs and marketing them heavily.
—Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2025
But this can only be done once the tower is seismically retrofitted, and even then, the lens will not be the primary navigation aid.
—A.k. Whitney, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025
However, using data to retrofit a narrative or provide a sensationalist depiction of a player or team’s performance after three games is filled with flaws.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retrofit
Cite this Entry
“Retrofit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retrofit. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
retrofit
verb
Share