rehabilitate

Verb

rehabilitate (third-person singular simple present rehabilitates, present participle rehabilitating, simple past and past participle rehabilitated)

1. (transitive) To restore (someone) to their former state, reputation, possessions, status etc.
2. (transitive) To vindicate; to restore the reputation or image of (a person, concept etc.).
3. (transitive) To return (something) to its original condition.

   Synonyms:

   restore, roll back, deconvert, reconvert, restitute, revert

4. (Canada, US, transitive) To restore or repair (a vehicle, building); to make habitable or usable again.
   • Cumaratunga was so furious that he intensified his campaign for revitalizing the traditional practices of asweddumization, so that neglected arable land could be rehabilitated, and a degenerating economy restructured and rejuvenated.1992, Alavattāgoḍa Pēmadāsa, Cumaratunga, the Unknown: Hidden Facets of His Scientific Profile, page 115
   • Engineers are considering using the blowable insulation to rehabilitate residential buildings in Chicago under an Argonne partnership with Bethel New Life, a Chicago community economic initiative.1996 November, “Doggone it, it's a new ceramic binder”, in DOE this Month, page 14

   Synonyms:

   fix, renovate, amend, correct, fix up, furbish, retrieve, make whole, mend, patch

5. (transitive) To restore to (a criminal etc.) the necessary training and education to allow for a successful reintegration into society; to retrain.
6. (transitive) To return (someone) to good health after illness, addiction, etc.
   • Patty Wahlers, 40, is the founder and director of Horse of Connecticut, an organization situated on a 46-acre farm in Washington that rescues and rehabilitates neglected horses and puts them up for adoption.2002 March 24, Sherri Daley, “Finding Homes for Horses That Were Left for Dead”, in The New York Times
7. (intransitive) To go through such a process; to recover.
   • Truman made us all feel welcome and relaxed as we shook hands with him. We sat around the desk, and he spoke very earnestly about the necessity of rehabilitating Europe and emphasized his concern that peaceful German production should be encouraged.1978, Richard Nixon, RN: the Memoirs of Richard Nixon, Grosset & Dunlap, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 43