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

Part of the appeal lies in growing research into neuroplasticity, which has overturned the idea that the brain becomes fixed in adulthood, revealing its capacity to rewire itself and adapt throughout life. — Amy O’Brien, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026

In 2014 Ithai Rabinowitch, a neurobiologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and his colleagues successfully altered the worms’ behavior by rewiring their neural circuits. — Simon Makin, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2026

That subtle contractual tweak rewires the financial incentives of commercial property. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2026

The 2020s have been full of young artists whose brains were rewired by E+E, Chuquimamani-Condori’s early alias for sputtering patchworks of Latin electronica, and revel in semioblitz bliss. — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 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