rewire

verb

re·​wire (ˌ)rē-ˈwī(-ə)r 

rewired; rewiring

transitive verb

1

: to provide or connect (something) with wire again

especially : to replace the electrical wiring of (something, such as a building or electronic device)

rewired the house

rewire a circuit board

2

: to make lasting and usually beneficial changes to the neurological or psychological functioning of (a person or brain)

—not used technically

The injured brain, moreover, can rewire itself.

—Joan Didion

Not only do studies show that meditation is boosting their immune system, but brain scans suggest that it may be rewiring their brains to reduce stress.

—Joel Stein

… nearly nine out of 10 adult smokers started smoking by age 18; nicotine can rewire youths' brains, making heroin and other opioids even more addictive.

—Delia DeRiggiWhitton

Can you rewire yourself? I went back through pivotal points in my life, when one should be happy.

—Kim Korson

Examples of rewire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These neurons can rewire themselves in response to real-time inputs, offering the potential to process vision tasks and accelerate large language models with far greater energy efficiency than conventional chips. —Jaime Catmull, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025

Any time he is injured, Bayern’s entire left-side needs to be rewired and loses much of its thrust. —Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025

Sort yourself out, rewire your connection to the universe, and then stand back. —James Parker, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2025

This approach has been shown to have a neurological impact, effectively rewiring individuals' brains by engaging multiple areas simultaneously. —Srinagesh Vitthanala, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rewire

• briar
• brier
• buyer
• choir
• crier
• cryer
• drier
• dryer
• eyer
• flier
• flyer
• friar