Rebuilt

How to spell rebuilt

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce rebuilt

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does rebuilt mean?

1. verbPast tense and past participle of rebuild: constructed again after damage or demolition.
2. adjectiveHaving been constructed or assembled again, especially from existing or replacement parts.

Rebuilt in a sentence

• verb

  The town rebuilt the bridge after the flood washed it away.

• adjective

  The garage sells cars fitted with a rebuilt gearbox at a lower price.

• verb

  The mechanic rebuilt the engine using new parts.

• adjective

  A rebuilt engine often comes with its own warranty.

Where does rebuilt come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is the past tense and past participle of 'rebuild', formed from the prefix 're-', taken from Latin and meaning 'again' or 'back', joined to the native English verb 'build'. 'Build' descends from Old English 'byldan', which meant to construct a dwelling and was rooted in 'bold', an Old English word for a house or building. The irregular ending '-t' rather than '-ed' is an old Germanic pattern that English kept for a handful of common verbs, giving us 'built' alongside the likes of 'spelt' and 'dealt'. When the 're-' prefix was attached, the irregular form carried straight over, so the word becomes 'rebuilt' and not 'rebuilded'. The single spelling trap worth remembering is that the prefix adds no extra letters: it stays 're-' plus 'built', never 'rebuilt' with a doubled letter or a stray 'e'.

How the word is built

• re- (again)
• built (past form of build, from Old English byldan: to construct)