Meaning & use
refit
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Meaning
verbtransitive or intransitive
To repair, renovate, or equip something again, especially a ship, building, or piece of machinery.
Grammar: Takes an object when you say what is repaired: refit a ship. No object when the subject is the thing itself: the ship refitted in port.
Patterns
- refit something
- refit something with something
- refit for something
The old ferry was refitted with new engines and a modern navigation system.
The building will be refitted as a community center next year.
After the storm, the crew refitted the damaged sail.
Word forms
| third person singular | refits |
|---|---|
| past tense | refitted |
| past participle | refitted |
| -ing form | refitting |
Common combinations
- refit a ship
- The navy decided to refit the ship before its next mission.
- refit with new equipment
- The laboratory was refitted with new computers and microscopes.
- major refit
- The submarine is undergoing a major refit.
- refit for a new purpose
- The warehouse was refitted for a new purpose as a climbing gym.
Synonyms and how they differ
- renovate
- Often used for buildings and rooms; 'refit' is more common for ships, machines, and equipment.
- refurbish
- Focuses on making something look new again, while 'refit' emphasizes installing new parts or equipment.
- overhaul
- Suggests a thorough examination and repair, not necessarily adding new equipment.
- equip
- Means to supply with necessary items; 'refit' implies doing this again or after damage.
Word family
- refit noun
- An occasion when something is repaired or equipped again, e.g., 'The ship is in dry dock for a refit.'
- refitting noun
- The process of repairing or equipping something again.
Commonly confused: refit or refute?
refit vs refute
Means to prove that a statement or idea is wrong. It sounds similar to 'refit' but has a completely different meaning.
Practice
The old warship was ______ with modern radar and weapons before it joined the fleet.
Choose one answer.
The past tense 'refitted' is needed because the action happened before the ship joined the fleet. 'Refit' is the base form and cannot be used alone after 'was'; 'refitting' would need a form of 'be' like 'was refitting' (past continuous) but that would mean the ship was doing the action itself, which doesn't fit; 'refits' is present tense and doesn't match the past time.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “refit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.