rebuilt

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of rebuild.

   The city rebuilt its waterfront over the following decade.

   After the fire, volunteers rebuilt the community hall from scratch.

   Note

   The -t ending follows build and built rather than adding -ed, so one spelling serves both the simple past (they rebuilt it) and the participle after have, had or be (it has been rebuilt). The form also carries the verb's figurative sense. A struggling team or player can be said to have rebuilt, with no object at all, meaning they worked to recover their performance.

2. 2
   adjective

   Constructed or assembled again after having been damaged, demolished, or dismantled.

   The rebuilt cathedral drew thousands of visitors in its first year.

   Mechanics often sell rebuilt transmissions at a lower price than new ones.

   Similarreconstructed, restored, reconditioned, refurbished

   Note

   Here the participle has settled into an adjective, most at home before a noun: a rebuilt engine, a rebuilt cathedral. It is not graded, so nothing is more rebuilt than something else. To tell it from the past-tense verb, ask whether the word describes a state or reports an action. The rebuilt engine runs well, but the engine was rebuilt last spring.

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