rebuild

Definition of rebuildnext

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb rebuild contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of rebuild are mend, patch, and repair. While all these words mean "to put into good order something that is injured, damaged, or defective," rebuild suggests making like new without completely replacing.

a rebuilt automobile engine

When would mend be a good substitute for rebuild?

The synonyms mend and rebuild are sometimes interchangeable, but mend implies making whole or sound something broken, torn, or injured.

mended the torn dress

Where would patch be a reasonable alternative to rebuild?

The meanings of patch and rebuild largely overlap; however, patch implies an often temporary fixing of a hole or break with new material.

patch worn jeans

When could repair be used to replace rebuild?

In some situations, the words repair and rebuild are roughly equivalent. However, repair applies to the fixing of more extensive damage or dilapidation.

repaired the back steps

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rebuild The delegation also met with Defense Minister Mario Andresol, who led the Haiti National Police for seven years and is now trying to rebuild the army, and the acting director general of the Haiti National Police, André Jonas Vladimir Paraison. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026 Rather than demanding answers, Novakovich focused on rebuilding trust. Zulekha Nathoo, USA Today, 30 July 2026 Being able to rebuild it, remake it, and stay true to the original was incredibly important to all of us. Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 30 July 2026 Advertisement Beyond oil, what is your strategy for rebuilding an economy that saw millions of Venezuelans emigrate? Eric Cortellessa, Time, 30 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for rebuild
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebuild
Verb
  • Ray was entering year three of a five-year, $115 million deal and still recovering from elbow surgeries to repair his flexor tendon and reconstruct his UCL.
    Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Both labs could reconstruct these timelines because actions were recorded.
    Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Yet while those aforementioned creatures still get rehabilitated on a regular basis, they’re now greatly surpassed in popular visibility by a cannibal undead that didn’t even exist in the genre until more recent decades.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 July 2026
  • Maybe the domain is too diseased to rehabilitate for clicks, even under its supposedly privacy-forward rebrand.
    Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 30 July 2026
Verb
  • The non-lethal technique, known as aversive conditioning, is designed to restore bears’ natural wariness of humans and populated areas.
    Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Order is restored to the kingdom through what is known as the Rumpelstiltskin effect, a term used by psychologists to describe the naming of something in order to create an illusion of understanding it.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rebuild.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebuild. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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