(Otomotiv) Used tires that have been refurbished by grinding the tread off and winding a strand of uncured rubber around the tire. Then the tire is placed in a mold, where the rubber is cured under heat and pressure and the tread itself is shaped. Finally, the tire is painted. The quality of retreads can vary; to be safe, only buy retreads from well-known manufacturers
disapproval If you describe something such as a book, film, or song as a retread, you mean that it contains ideas or elements that have been used before, and that it is not very interesting or original. His last book, `Needful Things', was a retread of tired material