rehabilitate

verb

re·​ha·​bil·​i·​tate ˌrē-ə-ˈbi-lə-ˌtāt How to pronounce rehabilitate (audio) ˌrē-hə- How to pronounce rehabilitate (audio)
rehabilitated; rehabilitating

transitive verb

1
a
: to restore to a former capacity : reinstate
b
: to restore to good repute : reestablish the good name of
2
a
: to restore to a former state (as of efficiency, good management, or solvency)
rehabilitate slum areas
b
: to restore or bring to a condition of health or useful and constructive activity
rehabilitative adjective

Example Sentences

The clinic rehabilitates drug addicts. He's still rehabilitating the knee he injured last summer. They try to rehabilitate horses that have suffered injuries. The program is intended to rehabilitate criminals. The country has rehabilitated its image since the war. The city plans to rehabilitate its slum areas. See More
Recent Examples on the Web When the Indian National Tiger Conservation Authority was established in 2005 to rehabilitate the country's dwindling tiger population, many of the tiger reserves were designated in the subsequent years, with the most recent ones being established in 2022, according to the researchers. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 25 May 2023 Once rehabilitated after the occupation ended, samurai stories became a pillar of Japan’s golden age of film in the 1950s and 1960s. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2023 That shows us that people age out of crime and many have done the work to rehabilitate after decades behind bars. Eden Villalovas, Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2023 Pamela Smart is fully rehabilitated and is no danger to society. CBS News, 29 Mar. 2023 The payoff will be, like the Ukrainians themselves, a more resilient economy that will require less effort from the West to rehabilitate and integrate into the European Union. Michael Bociurkiw, CNN, 16 Mar. 2023 After all, who else but a totally pure soul would commit themselves to rehabilitating the debilitatingly cruel heart of Arthur Fleck? Vulture, 12 Mar. 2023 After all, the premise of much of this year’s coverage — did the Globes rehabilitate themselves? James Poniewozik, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2023 Those pushing for a harsher sentence of a gross misdemeanor argue that the current policy will not give offenders enough time to rehabilitate. Eden Villalovas, Washington Examiner, 10 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rehabilitate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin rehabilitatus, past participle of rehabilitare, from Latin re- + Late Latin habilitare to habilitate

First Known Use

circa 1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of rehabilitate was circa 1581

Dictionary Entries Near rehabilitate

Cite this Entry

“Rehabilitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rehabilitate. Accessed 6 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

rehabilitate

verb
re·​ha·​bil·​i·​tate ˌrē-(h)ə-ˈbil-ə-ˌtāt How to pronounce rehabilitate (audio)
rehabilitated; rehabilitating
1
: to restore to a former status or reputation
2
a
: to restore to a state of efficiency, good management, or repair
rehabilitate slum areas
b
: to restore to a condition of health or useful and constructive activity
rehabilitate criminals
rehabilitation noun

Medical Definition

rehabilitate

transitive verb
re·​ha·​bil·​i·​tate ˌrē-(h)ə-ˈbil-ə-ˌtāt How to pronounce rehabilitate (audio)
rehabilitated; rehabilitating
: to restore or bring to a condition of health or useful and constructive activity
rehabilitate patients with hip fractures

Legal Definition

rehabilitate

transitive verb
re·​ha·​bil·​i·​tate ˌrē-ə-ˈbi-lə-ˌtāt, ˌrē-hə- How to pronounce rehabilitate (audio)
rehabilitated; rehabilitating
1
: to restore to a former capacity
specifically : to restore credibility to (a witness or testimony)
the State simply brought out all of the prior statements to qualify or explain the inconsistency and to rehabilitate the witness People v. Page, 550 N.E.2d 248 (1990)
compare impeach

Note: A witness whose trial testimony is inconsistent with his or her pretrial usually sworn statements is considered impeached. Such a witness may be rehabilitated usually on redirect examination. There are various state and federal evidentiary rules governing what evidence (as character evidence) is admissible to rehabilitate a witness.

2
a
: to restore to a former state (as of good repair or solvency)
if the debtor wishes to liquidate rather than reorganize or rehabilitate the farming operationJ. H. Williamson
b
: to restore (as a convicted criminal defendant) to a useful and constructive place in society through therapy, job training, and other counseling
rehabilitation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on rehabilitate

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