rebuild

rebuild — verb

1. to construct something again after it has been damaged, destroyed, or is no long

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to construct something again after it has been damaged, destroyed, or is no longer usable — for example, a family rebuilding a house after a fire, or a town rebuilding a bridge after a storm.

Example

After the earthquake, the team from Istanbul helped rebuild the school in the village.

collocation: rebuild + school / house / bridge

The old cathedral took over ten years to rebuild after the fire.

passive structure: took + time + to rebuild

Common collocations
  • rebuild a house / home / school / bridge / road / wall
  • rebuild from scratch / from the foundations
  • completely / entirely rebuild
Synonyms
  • reconstruct

    more formal and often implies careful restoration of the original design

  • renovate

    focuses on modernising or repairing, not necessarily rebuilding after destruction

  • restore

    highlights returning something to its original state, often through repair work

Antonyms
  • destroy

    the opposite action — causing something to no longer exist

  • demolish

    to deliberately tear down a structure, often to make way for something new

Grammar Patterns

rebuild + noun phrase

be rebuilt by + noun phrase

Usage Note

Often used in the passive voice when the focus is on the repaired structure rather than who repaired it (e.g., The temple was rebuilt in the 19th century).

Common Mistakes

We need to rebuild again the house.
We need to rebuild the house.
The prefix re- already means 'again', so adding 'again' is redundant.
They rebuilt the bridge after years.
They rebuilt the bridge after many years.
'Years' alone sounds incomplete; add 'many' or specify a number.

2. to develop a damaged or ineffective system, organization, or relationship so tha

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to develop a damaged or ineffective system, organization, or relationship so that it functions well again — for example, a manager rebuilding a team's morale, or a government rebuilding a country's economy after a crisis.

Example

After the financial crisis, Hari helped rebuild the company's reputation from the ground up.

collocation: rebuild + reputation / trust / relationship

The new manager spent months rebuilding trust between the staff and the management.

Common collocations
  • rebuild trust / confidence / morale
  • rebuild a relationship / partnership / alliance
  • rebuild an economy / system / network / institution
  • rebuild from the ground up / from scratch
Synonyms
  • reorganise

    focuses on changing the structure or arrangement rather than restoring strength

  • overhaul

    implies a thorough examination and major changes, often used for systems

  • reform

    suggests making improvements by correcting faults, especially in institutions

Antonyms
  • weaken

    to make a system or relationship less effective over time

  • undermine

    to gradually damage or weaken something, especially trust or authority

Grammar Patterns

rebuild + noun phrase (abstract)

rebuild + noun phrase + from + noun phrase

Usage Note

The object of this sense is typically an abstract noun such as trust, reputation, system, economy, network, or morale. The subject is often an organisation, institution, or person in a leadership role.

Common Mistakes

The company rebuilt from the ground.
The company rebuilt itself from the ground up.
In this sense, rebuild usually takes an object; use a reflexive pronoun if no other object is specified.

3. to work towards bringing yourself or another person back to a positive condition

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to work towards bringing yourself or another person back to a positive condition in life after a painful event — for example, regaining your self-belief after a disappointment, or starting a new professional chapter after losing a job.

Example

After losing her job, Antonia slowly began to rebuild her confidence and daily routine.

collocation: rebuild + confidence / life / career

The couple attended counselling together to rebuild their marriage after a difficult year.

Common collocations
  • rebuild your life / your career / your future
  • rebuild confidence / self-esteem / trust in yourself
  • rebuild after a divorce / setback / trauma / failure
Synonyms
  • recover

    more general — focuses on getting better without the active effort implied by rebuild

  • restore

    suggests returning to a previous state, often with outside help

  • revive

    implies bringing back to life or consciousness; used for careers or fortunes

Grammar Patterns

rebuild + possessive + life / career / confidence

rebuild + noun phrase + after + noun phrase

Usage Note

Most commonly used with life, confidence, career, or marriage as the object. The sentence usually includes or implies a prior negative event (the reason rebuilding was needed).

Common Mistakes

She is rebuilding after the accident.
She is rebuilding her life after the accident.
In this personal sense, specifying what is being rebuilt (life, confidence, etc.) makes the meaning clear.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Rebuild, reconstruct, renovate, and restore all involve making something usable or attractive again, but they differ in scope and emphasis. Rebuild is the most general term — it means constructing something again after damage or destruction, whether a physical structure (rebuild a house after a fire) or an abstract one (rebuild trust). Reconstruct is more formal and often implies carefully reproducing the original design or form, especially for historical buildings (reconstruct a medieval temple from archaeological evidence). Renovate focuses on modernising or repairing something that is old or worn but not necessarily destroyed (renovate a kitchen with new appliances). Restore emphasises returning something to its original condition, often through careful cleaning or repair work (restore a vintage car or a classic painting). For everyday use, rebuild fits most situations where something has been broken or lost and needs to be made whole again.

rebuild ↗reconstruct ↗renovate ↗restore ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-West GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

Rebuild is formed by adding the prefix re- (from Latin, meaning 'again' or 'back') to the verb build. Build comes from the Old English verb byldan, meaning 'to construct a house', which is related to the Proto-West Germanic *buþlijan ('to build') and ultimately to an ancient root meaning 'to dwell' or 'to live'. The word rebuild has been used in English since at least the 1600s, originally for physical structures and later extended to abstract systems and personal situations.