SKIP TO CONTENT

retread

Other forms: retreads; retreading; retreaded

When you do the same thing again, or walk along the same path, you retread. You might love a writer's first book, but you'll still be disappointed if she only retreads the same plot in her second one.

You can, quite literally, retread your steps through the woods to find the beautiful grove of ferns you saw yesterday. You can also figuratively retread: "That candidate just retreads the same points over and over again!" When a car mechanic uses this word, it means "put new treads on a tire," or as a noun, the new surface of the tire itself. During World War I, retread was Australian slang for a "re-enlisted soldier."

Definitions of retread
  1. verb
    use again in altered form
    retread an old plot”
    synonyms: make over, rework
    see moresee less
    type of:
    process, work, work on
    shape, form, or improve a material
  2. verb
    give new treads to (a tire)
    synonyms: remold, remould
    see moresee less
    type of:
    regenerate, renew
    reestablish on a new, usually improved, basis or make new or like new
Definitions of retread
  1. noun
    a used automobile tire that has been remolded to give it new treads
    synonyms: recap
    see moresee less
    type of:
    auto tire, automobile tire, car tire, rubber tire
    a tire consisting of a rubber ring around the rim of an automobile wheel
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘retread'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family