revamp

present singular third person revamps · participle present revamping · participle past revamped · past revamped

1. transitiveTo improve, renew, renovate, or revise (something).First known use early 19th c.

   They plan to revamp the historical theater in the old downtown.

   5 more examples

   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— […]

   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

   [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.

   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

   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.

   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

   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.

   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

   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.

   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

   Synonyms: improve, newvamp, overhaul, recoct, refurbish, vamp up, ameliorate, aprimorate (non-native speakers’ English (chiefly Portuguese))

plural revamps

1. An act of improving, renewing, renovating, or revising something; an improvement, renovation, revamping, or revision.First known use mid 19th c.

   a revamp of a website

   5 more examples

   Near-synonyms: facelift, overhaul, makeover

   The following appear rather like revamps of old versions absolutely than absolutely new jokes: […]

   1848 March, “Holden’s Review: The Family Joe Miller [book review]”, in Holden’s Dollar Magazine, volume I, number III, New York, N.Y.: Charles W. Holden, →OCLC, page 182

   To be sure, there have been many innovations introduced in that time, but upon examination it will be discovered that, in nearly all cases, they were a revamp of things which had been used before, and abandoned for want of experience in their use and proper facilities for perfecting them.

   1884, Stephen Roper, “Steam-engine Economy”, in The Engineer’s Handy-book. Containing a Full Explanation of the Steam-engine Indicator, and Its Use and Advantages to Engineers and Steam Users. […], 7th edition, Philadelphia, Pa.: E. Claxton & Company, […], →OCLC, 4th part, page 326

   Major opportunities to reduce energy usage in the mid-term also exist through retrofitting and/or replacement of existing equipment nearing the end of its useful life and during major refinery revamps that are periodically undertaken to meet market/environmental dictates.

   1999, M. Petrick, J. Pellegrino, “An Assessment of Carbon Reduction Technology Opportunities in the Petroleum Refining Industry”, in Baldur Eliasson, Pierce Reimer, Alexander Wokaun, editors, Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies, 30 August – 2 September 1988, Interlaken, Switzerland, Kidlington, Oxfordshire: Pergamon, Elsevier Science, →ISBN, page 929

   Sales still dwindled, so a revamp was ordered in 1969 to bring the character more in line with heroines in then-popular TV shows like The Avengers and The Mod Squad. The revamp was instigated by Justice League artist Mike Sekowsky, who had Wonder Woman renounce her powers so she could stay on Earth.

   2007, Christopher Knowles, “The Amazons”, in Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes, San Francisco, Calif.: Weiser Books, →ISBN, page 163

   Synonyms: revampment