Definition of RETROFIT

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The concept of retrofitting became an urgent necessity during World War II, when weapons technology was advancing at an intense pace and planes and ships were becoming outdated even before their construction was complete, and the only solution was to retrofit the completed craft with the brand-new technology. Retrofitting was revived on a massive scale during the energy crisis of the 1970s, when new features were added to millions of old houses to make them more energy-efficient. Retrofitting is thus different from merely renovating, which may not involve any new technology at all.

Examples of retrofit in a Sentence

The factory has been retrofitted to meet the new safety regulations. We can retrofit your car with the new fuel system.

Recent Examples on the Web

State lawmaker Jim Wood tried to bridge this gap by proposing a bill that would provide $1 billion in low-interest loans to help people rebuild and retrofit with fires in mind. — Katy Steinmetz/ukiah, Time, "California Is Stepping Up Fire Prevention Efforts—But It Hasn't Fixed One of the Biggest Problems," 2 July 2019 Since then, Apple’s autonomous test cars have consisted of standard cars retrofitted with self-driving hardware. — Jon Porter, The Verge, "Apple hires designer Andrew Kim away from Tesla," 17 Dec. 2018 But Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury said the spot and space allow the county to forge something to suit people’s needs instead of trying to retrofit an old office building that doesn’t have enough bathrooms or other crucial amenities. — oregonlive.com, "Multnomah County hopes to create alternative to jail, ERs for mentally ill homeless people," 10 June 2019 The statement listed obstacles to a blanket order to retrofit, such as cost and lack of adequate water supply in many buildings to operate a sprinkler system. — William Neuman, New York Times, "Trump Tower Smoke Sensors Alerted Firefighters to Deadly Blaze," 9 Apr. 2018 The first planes to get this option, in 2020, will be Airbus’s A330s—airlines will be able to have their jets retrofitted with the modules, or buy new aircraft with them in place. — David Meyer, Fortune, "Airbus Has a Solution to 17-Hour Flight Hell: Beds in the Cargo Hold," 11 Apr. 2018 According to Curbed, the Climate Mobilization Act’s most ambitious provision is to require any buildings of more than 25,000 square feet to retrofit things like windows and insulation in order to increase energy efficiency. — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, "New York City Passed Its Own Green New Deal–Like Legislation," 19 Apr. 2019 All told, the city estimates as much as $4 billion could be spent on retrofitting buildings. — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, "New York City Passed Its Own Green New Deal–Like Legislation," 19 Apr. 2019 Meanwhile, The Handmaid’s Tale was largely effective at retrofitting itself into a twisted family drama in its second season, pivoting around the interactions of characters within the Waterford house. — Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "Why the era of Peak TV is the era of the disappointing second season," 1 Aug. 2018

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