revamp
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɹiːˈvæmp/
ipa: /ɹiˈvæmp/
rhymes: -æmp
Forms: form: revamps
form: revamping
form: revamped
form: revamped
Etymology: The verb is derived from re- (prefix meaning ‘again, anew’) + vamp (“to patch, repair, or refurbish”). The noun is derived from the verb.
Senses: examples: text: They plan to revamp the historical theater in the old downtown.
text: But the great man [Thomas Carlyle] has great littlenesses, the original sometimes revamps old thoughts, the strong reasoner may beg his question and build a strong hypothesis on assumed premises, and the clear writer frequently gets into the predicament which formed the countryman's definition of a metaphysical colloquy— […]
ref: 1842 May 21, “The International Copy-right Law”, in Brother Jonathan: A Weekly Compend of Belles Lettres and the Fine Arts, Standard Literature, and General Intelligence, volume II, number 4, New York, N.Y.: Wilson & Company, […], →OCLC, page 74, column 1:
text: [T]hey did not revise, revamp, and reiterate the argument that I have heard so often from that side of the Chamber, and sometimes on this, that it would be very wicked and wrong and unpatriotic for this Republic to compel by force, against the will of the people, the annexation of the Philippine Islands to the United States.
ref: 1899 February 10, Marriott Henry Brosius, “Sundry Civil Appropriation Bill”, in Congressional Record: […] (United States House of Representatives, 55th Congress, 3rd session), volume XXXII, Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 1692, column 1:
text: The audience snickered, and Nan saw the startled flash of pain in his sunken eyes. His long fingers closed convulsively as he nerved himself to face them, and then, with a gulp of nervousness he began his monologue of ancient conundrums and jokes, not too skilfully revamped.
ref: 1914, Caroline Lockhart, “The Foreman of the L.X.”, in The Full of the Moon, Philadelphia, Pa.; London: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC, page 53:
text: He went back to his play like an opium-smoker back to his drug. He revised and re-arranged and revamped. He closed his eyes, valiantly, and cut away whole act-ends, at one grim stroke, like a surgeon operating on his own flesh and blood.
ref: 1920 December, Arthur Stringer, “A Sense of Humor: A Christmas Story”, in Canadian Home Journal, volume 17, number 8, Toronto, Ont.: Home Journal Pub. Co., →OCLC, page 8, columns 2–3:
text: The tools of government which we had in 1933 are outmoded. We have had to forge new tools for a new role of government in democracy—a role of new responsibility for new needs and increased responsibility for old needs, long neglected. […] Most of us recognize that none of these tools can be put to maximum effectiveness unless the executive processes of government are revamped—reorganized, if you will—into more effective combination.
ref: 1939 January 4, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President of the United States, “Message of the President of the United States [Sixth State of the Union Address]”, in Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 76th Congress, First Session (joint session of the United States Senate and House of Representatives), volume 84, part 1, Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, →ISSN, →OCLC, pages 75–76:
text: There was a great demand for cars, but as the trade fell off people became more particular and it was found necessary to revamp the construction of nearly all the cars, the Buick and the Cadillac excepted, but the other three cars were in very bad condition and had to be rebuilt entirely on new lines.
ref: 1955 June 14, Pierre S[amuel] du Pont (witness), United States of America, Appellant, vs. E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, et al.: Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois: […] , volume I (Transcript of Record), Washington, D.C.: Judd & Detweiler, →OCLC, page 841:
text: When we learned that the O.E.D. Online was revamped late last year, we jumped at the chance to learn more about how this esteemed publication (which first stirred to life in 1857) was adapting itself for a modern online audience.
ref: 2011 January 14, J. D. Biersdorfer, “ArtsBeat: The revamped O.E.D. Online”, in New York Times Blog, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, archived from the original on 07 Feb 2021:
text: We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher.
ref: 2013 January 21, Barack Obama, “Inaugural Address by President Barack Obama”, in The White House, archived from the original on 06 Aug 2021:
text: "We'll work on revamping our strategy in the morning," I say, "Now I think we all need some sleep. It's been a long night."
ref: 2021, MarcyKate Connolly, Heartless Heirs, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Blink, HarperCollins, →ISBN:
synonyms: word: improve
word: newvamp
word: overhaul
word: recoct
word: refurbish
word: ameliorate
word: aprimorate (non-native speakers’ English (chiefly Portuguese))
word: amend
word: batten
word: better
word: enhance
word: hone
word: improve
word: meliorate
word: refine
word: get better
word: look up
word: amend
word: correct
word: fix
word: fix up
word: kludge
word: make whole
word: mend
word: patch
word: put to rights
word: rectify
word: reform
word: remediate
word: remedy
word: renew
word: renovate
word: restore
word: restrive
word: revamp
glosses: To improve, renew, renovate, or revise (something).
Derived terms: word: revamped
word: revamper
word: revamping
word: revampment
Related terms: word: newvamp
word: vamp
word: vamping
word: vamping
word: alter