Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To make clean, bright, or fresh again; renovate.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To furbish anew; polish up.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To furbish anew.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To rebuild or replenish with all new material; to restore to original (or better) working order and appearance.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb make brighter and prettier

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

1605, from re- +‎ furbish, from Middle English furbishen, from Old French furbir (stem furbiss-, "to clean, polish"), from Frankish *furbjan (“to clean, polish”), from Proto-Germanic *furbijanan (“to clean”), from Proto-Indo-European *prep- (“to appear”). Cognate with Old High German furben ("to clean, cleanse, purge, sweep").

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Examples

  • The military industrial warriors in the Bush administration had decided from the beginning of his term to go ahead with their plans to 'refurbish' the existing nuclear arsenal, designating the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California over the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico for the project if it happens to get the funding from the, so-far, reluctant Congress.

    Obama's Holdovers in Pentagon Leadership Still Pushing Hard for New Generation of Nuclear Weapons 2008

  • It was reported today that the Bush administration has decided to move forward with their plans to 'refurbish' the existing nuclear arsenal, designating the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California over the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico for the project if it happens to get the funding from the, so-far, reluctant Congress.

    New Nuclear Warheads for Bush 2007

  • The 'new generation' nuclear plan Bush just unveiled is being justified by claiming a need to 'refurbish' our nuclear arsenal.

    No New Nemesis? No New Nukes 2006

  • (NNSA) to "refurbish" aging nuclear warheads to ensure that they still work and are safe,

    News From DefenseNews.com 2010

  • The first lady apparently went to whatever storage place houses past administration Christmas decorations, plucked out some ornaments and sent them to 60 communities across the country and asked them to "refurbish" them.

    The Orange County Register - News Headlines : Top Stories 2009

  • The new authorities will share around £800m funding, enabling them to bring forward their first batch of secondary schools to rebuild or refurbish, meaning that local authorities are able to start their BSF schemes earlier than had previously been thought.

    unknown title 2009

  • The new authorities will share around £800m funding, enabling them to bring forward their first batch of secondary schools to rebuild or refurbish, meaning that local authorities are able to start their BSF schemes earlier than had previously been thought.

    unknown title 2009

  • They can "refurbish" the game: Reset any DRM installation restrictions, clear out the multi-player accounts, check the disk for scratches, and replace any missing bits of paper in the box.

    doggdot.us 2009

  • (His only objection was a $4 billion grant to states and cities to "refurbish" foreclosed homes).

    Mises Dailies 2008

  • But it would have taken $7 million just to refurbish the feeder lot and plant.

    Kill the Irishman Rick Porrello 2011

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