Dictionary

repurpose en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ɹiːˈpøː.pəs/ (New-Zealand)
• /ɹiːˈpɜː.pəs/ (Australia)
• /ɹiːˈpɜː.pəs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• audio Queensland
• /ɹiˈpɝ.pəs/ (Canada, General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re-der. Old French re-bor. Middle English re- English re- Middle English purpos English purpose English repurpose From re- + purpose.

Meanings

1. To reuse for a different purpose, on a long-term basis, with or without alteration.
   • Looking north towards Moorgate, through the new tunnel being built at Bank for southbound Northern Line services. More than half a mile of new tunnels have been excavated, producing nearly 200,000 tonnes of material which is being repurposed as building material in Dartford. 2019 October 23, Rail, page 68, photo caption:
   • Tesla has repurposed the lightweight, energy-dense cells that power its cars for huge grid-scale batteries that provide essential backup for renewables. December 13 2021, Molly Ball, Jeffrey Kluger, Alejandro de la Garza, “Elon Musk: Person of the Year 2021”, in Time Magazine, archived from the original on 13 Dec 2021:
   • The church was repurposed as a nightclub by lighting changes and removing the pews, but it never opened.
   • The town common was repurposed as a practice field.

Forms

Deriveds

repurposer · repurposability · repurposable

Synonyms

remodel (alter)

Translations (22)

nl herbestemmen (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · pl zmieniać przeznaczenie (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · fi kierrättää (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · pt reutilizar (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · es retransformar (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · eo reutiligi (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · pl zmienić przeznaczenie (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · de umnutzen (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · fi ottaa parempaan käyttöön (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · eo aliuzi (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · de umfunktionieren (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · es reutilizar (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · es reconvertir (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · ro reutiliza (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · fr réutiliser (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · nl inzetten (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · fr redéfinir (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · es readaptar (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · fr réaffecter (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · it riutilizzare (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · ru перенацелить (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform) · nl hergebruiken (reuse with or without alteration — see also alter, convert, transform)