Rebuild: Putting It Back, or Starting Again
To rebuild is to build something again after damage. In sport it means dismantling a team on purpose to build a better one.
To rebuild is to construct something again, usually after damage or decay. Sport uses the word for a deliberate version of the same thing: a club in a *rebuild* sells experienced players and accepts poor results in exchange for younger ones. It is the rare case of demolition being the plan.
- To build again. *Rebuild the bridge.*
- To restore. *Rebuild trust.*
- A period of deliberate reconstruction. *The club is in a rebuild.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | rebuild | Rebuild the wall. |
| Past | rebuilt | Rebuilt in 1953. |
| Noun | rebuild | A three-year rebuild. |
| Related | reconstruct | Reconstruct the scene. |
| Related | renovate | Renovate the flat. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The town was rebuilt after the flood.Physical.
- It will take years to rebuild confidence.Figurative.
- The engine was completely rebuilt.Mechanical: stripped and reassembled.
Rebuild, restore, renovate
- Rebuild — construct again, often from little or nothing
- Reconstruct — build again to the original design
- Restore — return to an earlier condition
- Renovate — bring up to modern standards
- Refurbish — clean, repair and re-equip
A compound of *re-*, again, and *build*, from Old English *byldan*, to construct a dwelling, from *bold*, a house.
Rebuild or restore?
Restoring returns something to how it was, keeping original material where possible. Rebuilding replaces it.
What is a rebuild in sport?
A deliberate period of poor results while a team replaces older players with younger ones, hoping to be stronger later.