rebuild

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 Additionally, comedy is not a priority as Paramount+’s original slate is being rebuilt under the new leadership. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025 But President James Madison rehired Hoban to rebuild under the original design. Bart Jansen, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025 Truman and his family moved to Blair House across the street for over three years while contractors gutted the interior and rebuilt the structure with concrete and steel. Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025 However, Bon Jovi found a surgeon who performed a medialization thyroplasty surgery, a cutting-edge procedure in which an implant was placed on the outside of his vocal cord to rebuild the weakened cord. Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rebuild
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebuild
Verb
  • The team was able to reconstruct a complete, fleshy profile of Edmontosaurus annectens.
    Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Oaklawn Avenue Bridge, which was just reconstructed for the I-77 north expansion, may be partially demolished and rebuilt.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Putin created the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives four years later, which finances exhibitions, festivals, and art that rehabilitate Moscow’s image both at home and abroad.
    Tetiana Kotelnykova, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
  • In total, the Ventana Wildlife Society — a group that traps, breeds and rehabilitates the vultures for release into the wild — has tracked 30 different condors that took multiple trips to parts of Alameda and Contra Costa counties sometime in the past two years.
    Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • After years of sitting dormant, the station was restored as a new hotel, but a surprise was left behind on the top floor.
    Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The result can be a culture that restores its edge daily, rather than one that dulls until a major transformation is forced.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rebuild.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebuild. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on rebuild

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