rehabilitate

verb

re·​ha·​bil·​i·​tate ˌrē-ə-ˈbi-lə-ˌtāt  ˌrē-hə- 

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 historic buildings

b

: to restore or bring to a condition of health or useful and constructive activity

rehabilitative

ˌrē-ə-ˈbi-lə-ˌtā-tiv  ˌrē-hə- 

adjective

rehabilitator

ˌrē-ə-ˈbi-lə-ˌtā-tər  ˌrē-hə- 

noun

Synonyms of rehabilitate

• redeem
• reclaim
• regenerate
• improve

Examples of rehabilitate in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

Construction crews are also working with the city of Sacramento to rehabilitate parking lots and sidewalks under the highway between W and X streets. — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Gross-Matos is currently rehabilitating from that knee injury and isn’t ready to play. — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Veterans groups and advocates who shaped the 2016 draft plan contend the housing was tacked on to allow the VA to avoid the cost of rehabilitating the building. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

The crash ultimately brought Dowdell to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, which specializes in treating and rehabilitating people with spinal cord and brain injuries. — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for rehabilitate

• borosilicate
• decontaminate
• deoxycholate
• deteriorate
• differentiate
• diisocyanate
• dinoflagellate
• excommunicate
• incapacitate
• insubordinate
• intercorporate
• interpenetrate

Kids Definition

rehabilitate

verb

re·​ha·​bil·​i·​tate ˌrē-(h)ə-ˈbil-ə-ˌtāt 

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

-ˌbil-ə-ˈtā-shən 

noun

Medical Definition

rehabilitate

transitive verb

re·​ha·​bil·​i·​tate ˌrē-(h)ə-ˈbil-ə-ˌtāt 

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- 

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 operation

—J. 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

-ˌbi-lə-ˈtā-shən 

noun