repurpose

verb

re·pur·pose | \ (ˌ)rē-ˈpər-pəs

repurposed; repurposing; repurposes

Definition of repurpose

transitive verb

: to give a new purpose or use to repurpose the company's website repurpose the archived material

Examples of repurpose in a Sentence

finding ways to repurpose old computer equipment

Recent Examples on the Web

Officials plan to salvage some of the wood and repurpose it, and a replacement tree will be planted, Graham said. — Washington Post, "Tree that some say inspired Dr. Seuss’ ‘The Lorax’ topples," 19 June 2019 The Peoria Unified School District will repurpose the old Arizona Challenger Space Center building while the museum is set to move to Paradise Valley. — Joshua Bowling, azcentral, "Arizona Challenger Space Center to get new life in 2020. But where did the museum land?," 14 June 2019 Darrell started out making wooden bowls and sold two at a craft show to people who planned to repurpose them as pet urns, which gave them the idea. — Jen A. Miller, SELF, "When My Dog Died, I Discovered a Thriving Pet Funeral Industry I Never Knew Existed," 9 Apr. 2019 Thanks to Bianca and Red's handmade bow barrettes, though, one need no longer repurpose their trimmings. — Zoe Ruffner, Vogue, "These One-of-a-Kind Handmade Hair Bows are the Ultimate Holiday Gift for Yourself," 24 Dec. 2018 Of course, the drafters of the Copyright Act never foresaw the emergence of internet memes, or that online games would repurpose them as a means of digital commerce. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Fortnite keeps stealing dances — and no one knows if it’s illegal," 20 Dec. 2018 Make a Soft-Focus Lip Your New Signature In place of traditional lipstick, Westman loves to repurpose her blush stick as a vivid pigment for the mouth. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "How to Get Your Best Party Skin Ever, According to This Celebrity Dream Team," 4 Dec. 2018 In addition to the underground work, Mundelein in May decided to sell $2 million in bonds to cover the purchase of new property and repurpose that land into a water overflow detention area. — Rick Kambic, chicagotribune.com, "Parts of Mundelein underwater day after village lays out long-term flood prevention efforts," 27 June 2018 While Microsoft couldn't make Edge work, maybe someone else could repurpose its engine. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "Google Chrome Is Poised to Swallow the Whole Internet," 4 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'repurpose.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.