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

Miquelon himself refurbished original details, such as the woodwork, marble, and inlaid Tiffany glass, while also modernizing the overall design. —Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 4 May 2026

Older cruise ships are often sold, refurbished, and relaunched under new brands. —Elizabeth Heath, Travel + Leisure, 1 May 2026

According to the district, funding investments include building a new high school, improving ADA accessibility, renovating two pools, updating HVAC systems, bathrooms, refurbishing athletic centers and more. —Ross Dimattei, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026

While some builders — like Oracle’s partner Crusoe — are refurbishing old transformers or relying on other strategies, uncertainty around the AI buildout has been rising. —Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 29 Apr. 2026

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