renovate
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to repair and decorate an old building or room to make it look new and work better.
to restore a building, room, or structure to a good state of repair; implies significant structural or aesthetic improvement.
Simple“They spent the whole summer renovating the old farmhouse before moving in.”
In context“The developers plan to renovate the historic warehouse, converting the upper floors into luxury apartments while maintaining the original brick facade.”
UsageCommonly used with buildings, houses, or specific rooms like kitchens and bathrooms.
- 02 C1 Advanced
to make something feel fresh, strong, or new again.
to restore to freshness, vigour, or a renewed state; often used in a more abstract or literary sense than physical construction.
Simple“A week in the mountains helped renovate his tired spirit.”
In context“The spring rains seemed to renovate the parched landscape, bringing a sudden burst of green to the valley.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is much less common than the construction sense; students should use 'rejuvenate' or 'refresh' in modern speech.
Synonyms
“The house had been moved to the island and then renovated in 2013 before being rented privately.”
“In recent years, the glazing has been renovated, carefully recutting the original ‘sparkle glass’.” This refers to textured glass panes that refract light so the building glitters in the sun.”
The adjective first attested in 1440, the verb in 1535; from Middle English renovat(e) (“renewed”), from Latin renovātus, perfect passive participle of renovō (“to renew”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Participial usage up until Early Modern English.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.