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 While hunting for his missing wife, Marissa, Hale is dragged through an escalating nightmare of environments that loop, warp and rebuild themselves from his own memories and trauma. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026 Ground Zero, 25 years later The World Trade Center site, which took more than a decade to rebuild, has been transformed into something few could have imagined in the days after the attacks. Thomas E. Franklin, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026 The scars of 9/11 were still visible on the landscape, but the people of that community were defiantly rebuilding their lives. Susan Watts, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026 Since then, Lineage has been a pariah in the community, with residents and city officials speaking out after the company filed for a permit to rebuild, and missed the city’s 45-day deadline to remove the rotting waste. Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rebuild
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebuild
Verb
  • From Mexico, Morales García could do little more than wait while his attorneys tried to reconstruct the paper trail of his life.
    María Luisa Paúl, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Creating an accurate transcript, pairing it with a concise summary and storing both in a consistent, searchable system allows future teams to build on previous thinking rather than reconstruct it.
    Beth Worthy, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Veterans groups and advocates who shaped the 2016 draft plan contend the housing was tacked on to allow the VA to avoid the cost of rehabilitating the building.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The crash ultimately brought Dowdell to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, which specializes in treating and rehabilitating people with spinal cord and brain injuries.
    Christopher Harris, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The challenge is backed by Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents Louisiana and wants the Food and Drug Administration to restore in-person requirements for the dispensing of mifepristone.
    Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Then on Wednesday, Justice Flávio Dino overruled his colleague and restored the two senior police officials to their posts.
    MAURICIO SAVARESE, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rebuild.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebuild. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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