Definition of "repurpose" [repurpose]

• To use or convert for use in another format or product: repurposed the book as a compact disk. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The former may do something better than the latter, but it’s not “intelligence”; as with Howard Gardner’s shtick, that’s just trying to repurpose a word because you want to draw different conclusions."
• "Hey Rick Mervine, what's the "repurpose" of an abortion clinic?"
• "They comb through the many drugs that are no longer in use--- and are no longer under patent--- and "repurpose" them for new applications."