rewrite

English

Etymology

Etymology tree
Proto-Italic *wre-
Latin re-
Old French re-bor.
Middle English re-
English re-
English write
English rewrite

    From re- + write.

    Pronunciation

    • (noun)
      • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈɹiː.ɹaɪt/
      • Audio (Southern England):(file)
      • (US) IPA(key): /ˈɹi.ɹaɪt/
      • Rhymes: -iːɹaɪt
    • (verb)
      • (UK) IPA(key): /ɹiːˈɹaɪt/
      • Audio (Southern England):(file)
      • (US) IPA(key): /ɹiˈɹaɪt/
      • Rhymes: -aɪt

    Noun

    rewrite (plural rewrites)

    1. The act of writing again or anew.
      The film script underwent a rewrite for the European market.
      • 1991 August 24, Maridee BonaDea, “Pomo Afro Homos On The Road”, in Gay Community News, volume 19, number 6, page 7:
        After a month of writing and another month for rehearsals and re-writes, the three planned a one-night-only performance billed as a work in progress at Josie's Cabaret and Juice Joint in San Francisco.
    2. Something that has been written again.
    3. (mathematics, computing) The replacement of subterms of a formula with other terms, according to certain rules, by way of transformation.

    Derived terms

    Translations

    Verb

    rewrite (third-person singular simple present rewrites, present participle rewriting, simple past rewrote, past participle rewritten)

    1. (transitive) To write again, differently; to modify; to revise.
      The editor asked me to rewrite my article for a non-technical audience.
      • 1986 July 28, “Cuyahoga”, in Lifes Rich Pageant, performed by R.E.M.:
        Rewrite the book and rule the pages
        Saving face, secured in faith
        Bury, burn the waste behind you
      • 2021 January 13, Paul Clifton, “Network News: Timetable cuts as demand falls and staff are protected”, in Rail, page 7:
        If we are going to rewrite all of those diagrams and change the duties of all of those staff, it will take a few weeks.
      • 2023 May 8, Jonathan Head, “Thailand election: The young radicals shaking up politics”, in BBC‎[1], archived from the original on 29 August 2023:
        The conservative establishment will have to ask themselves, what else they can do? […] And even though they rewrite the electoral rules in their favour, their parties still lose the election.
      • 2026 February 10, Jigyasa Sahay, “'Retardmaxxing' is internet's new response to overthinking”, in India Today‎[2], archived from the original on 13 March 2026:
        It’s in this context that internet trends like retardmaxxing gain traction. For many, it becomes a way to disrupt the mental loop, sending an email without rewriting it ten times, applying for the job without feeling “fully ready”, starting the workout without waiting for motivation, or putting creative work out for the world even when it's not perfect to the tee.
      • 2026, David Levithan, Gabriel Duckels, The Fight of Our Lives: AIDS in America, page 25:
        The news about Robert rewrote the conventional narrative that HIV/AIDS appeared in the early 1980s in New York and California. His case challenges the accepted history of an epidemic that continues to disproportionately affect young Black boys and men.
    2. (transitive) To write again (without changes).
    3. (mathematics, computing) To replace subterms of a formula with other terms, according to certain rules, by way of transformation.

    Usage notes

    • The verb restate has analogous senses to state again and to rephrase, to state again differently.

    Derived terms

    Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked‌: "to write again"
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