verb
rehabilitate
ree-uh-BIH-lih-tayt
verb
1
To help someone return to good health, function, or a normal life after illness, injury, or addiction.
"The program helps rehabilitate injured athletes so they can return to sport."
2
To restore a building, area, or system to good working condition.
"The old warehouse was rehabilitated into loft apartments."
3
To restore someone's reputation or good standing.
"Historians have worked to rehabilitate the reputation of the disgraced general."
How to Use Rehabilitate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo help a person, building, or reputation get back to a good, working, or respected state.
Common pairings
rehabilitate an offender
rehabilitate a building
rehabilitate an image
Word Forms
rehabilitated past tense, rehabilitates singular
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The program helps _____ injured athletes so they can return to sport.
Etymology
A learned borrowing from Medieval Latin rehabilitātus, from rehabilitāre, "to restore to a former condition."