Meaning & use
refurbished
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“refurbished” is a form of “refurbish”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Cleaned, repaired and restored so that it looks or works like new again, especially used goods or a building.
Grammar: Often used before a noun: a refurbished laptop; it can also follow a verb: the flat was refurbished.
Patterns
- a refurbished something
- newly refurbished
I bought a refurbished laptop at half the price of a new one.
The hotel reopened with newly refurbished rooms.
The library is a refurbished factory with high windows.
verbtransitive
Past tense and past participle of refurbish: to clean up, redecorate or repair something so it is in good condition again.
Grammar: Takes an object: they refurbished the office.
Patterns
- refurbish something
The council refurbished the old theater last year.
They refurbished the kitchen with new cupboards.
Workers have refurbished all the phones in the warehouse.
Common combinations
- refurbished phone
- She chose a refurbished phone to save money.
- newly refurbished
- The newly refurbished station reopened in May.
- fully refurbished
- The flat comes fully refurbished.
- refurbished model
- A refurbished model is often a bargain.
- refurbished by the manufacturer
- The printer was refurbished by the manufacturer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- renovated
- Renovated is used mostly for buildings and suggests big repair work, while refurbished is common for goods and rooms.
- restored
- Restored suggests returning something to its original condition, whereas refurbished means making it good again, not necessarily original.
- reconditioned
- Reconditioned is usually for machines and engines and stresses repair of working parts.
- second-hand
- Second-hand only means previously owned, with no promise of repair, so it is not the same as refurbished.
Opposites
Word family
- refurbish verb
- to renew something
- refurbishment noun
- the work of renewing something
- furbish verb
- an old word meaning to polish or renew
Commonly confused: refurbished or furnished?
refurbished vs furnished
Furnished means supplied with furniture. Refurbished means repaired and made like new.
Practice
The store sells ___ tablets that were returned by customers, checked and repaired.
Choose one answer.
Refurbished describes used items that were repaired and cleaned. Furnished is about furniture, which is a tempting similar-looking word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “refurbished”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.