renewable

adjective

re·​new·​able ri-ˈnü-ə-bəl How to pronounce renewable (audio)
-ˈnyü-
1
: capable of being renewed
renewable contracts
2
: capable of being replaced by natural ecological cycles or sound management practices
renewable resources
renewability
ri-ˌnü-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce renewable (audio)
-ˌnyü-
noun
renewable noun
renewably
ri-ˈnü-ə-blē How to pronounce renewable (audio)
-ˈnyü-
adverb

Examples of renewable in a Sentence

a renewable life insurance policy Forests are renewable natural resources, but they must be treated with care. Wind and water are renewable fuel sources.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That becomes important when demand jumps during hot afternoons or renewable power drops later in the day. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026 At the global level, renewable power covered the entire net increase in electricity generation. — Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026 Ireland, for instance, has instituted a mandate requiring 80% new renewable energy for new data centers. — Sasha Luccioni, Time, 3 July 2026 Officials said renewable energy is beginning to replace existing demand conventionally provided by coal. — ABC News, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for renewable

Word History

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of renewable was in 1661

Rhymes for renewable

See All Rhymes for renewable

Browse Nearby Words

renew
renewable
renewable fuse
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Renewable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/renewable. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

renewable

adjective
re·​new·​able ri-ˈn(y)ü-ə-bəl How to pronounce renewable (audio)
1
: capable of being renewed
2
: capable of being replaced by natural ecological cycles or sound management procedures
renewable resources like water, wildlife, forests, and grasslands

More from Merriam-Webster on renewable

Nglish: Translation of renewable for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All