refurbish

verb

re·​fur·​bish ri-ˈfər-bish 

refurbished; refurbishing; refurbishes

transitive verb

: to brighten or freshen up : renovate

refurbisher noun

refurbishment

ri-ˈfər-bish-mənt 

noun

Did you know?

As seems proper given how English prefixes work, before you could refurbish something you could furbish it. That shorter word was borrowed into Middle English in the 14th century from Anglo-French as furbisshen; it shares a distant relative with the Old High German verb furben, meaning "to polish." In its earliest uses furbish also meant "to polish," but it developed an extended sense of "to renovate" shortly before English speakers created refurbish with the same meaning in the 17th century. These days refurbish is the more common of the two words, although furbish does continue to be used.

Examples of refurbish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The four-wheeler has just emerged from a painstaking, nine-year restoration led by expert Steve Nannini, who sourced and professionally engineered every missing component and refurbished existing parts to factory standards. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2025

Historical aircraft started last year making the trip up from San Diego to be refurbished and eventually displayed. —Victoria Le, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025

If comfort is your priority, look for newer or refurbished ships with stabilizers, spacious cabins, multiple dining venues, and wellness facilities. —Ashton Palmer, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2025

While Queen Elizabeth isn’t Cunard’s newest ship, it was refurbished in March. —Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

refurbish

verb

re·​fur·​bish ri-ˈfər-bish 

: to brighten or freshen up : renovate

refurbish an old house

refurbishment

-mənt 

noun