rewire

verb

re·​wire (ˌ)rē-ˈwī(-ə)r 

rewired; rewiring

transitive verb

1

: to provide or connect (something) with wire again

especially : to replace the electrical wiring of (something, such as a building or electronic device)

rewired the house

rewire a circuit board

2

: to make lasting and usually beneficial changes to the neurological or psychological functioning of (a person or brain)

—not used technically

The injured brain, moreover, can rewire itself.

—Joan Didion

Not only do studies show that meditation is boosting their immune system, but brain scans suggest that it may be rewiring their brains to reduce stress.

—Joel Stein

… nearly nine out of 10 adult smokers started smoking by age 18; nicotine can rewire youths' brains, making heroin and other opioids even more addictive.

—Delia DeRiggi-Whitton

Can you rewire yourself? I went back through pivotal points in my life, when one should be happy.

—Kim Korson

Examples of rewire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Briana Severine, founder of Sanare Psychosocial Rehabilitation, told The Healthy that modern life has rewired what once was a survival response. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 27 May 2026

Key Background The AI buildout has rewired the memory chip industry, transforming what was once a famously cyclical business into one of the hottest markets. —Alicia Park, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026

His response was a blitz of regional expansion – in the Bengali, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu languages – that rewired the logic of Indian television. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 May 2026

And rewiring an older house and upgrading the electrical panel so heat pumps can be installed can set homeowners back more than $40,000. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 19 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rewire

• briar
• brier
• buyer
• choir
• crier
• cryer
• drier
• dryer
• eyer
• flier
• flyer
• friar