edit

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verb

ed·it ˈe-dət

edited; editing; edits

Synonyms of edit next

transitive verb

: to prepare (something, such as literary material) for publication or public presentation

edit a manuscript

: to assemble (something, such as a moving picture or tape recording) by cutting and rearranging

edit a film

: to alter, adapt, or refine especially to bring about conformity to a standard or to suit a particular purpose

carefully edited the speech

edit a data file

: to direct the publication of

edits the daily newspaper

: delete

—usually used with out

: to modify a gene or gene product of by inserting, deleting, or replacing DNA sequences

The first work attempting to edit human embryos grabbed headlines last week.—

Penny Sarchet and Michael Le Page

see gene editing

editable

ˈe-də-tə-bəl

adjective

edit

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Example Sentences

Verb This chapter needs to be edited. The book was poorly edited. The stories have been edited for a younger audience. Students learn to edit their essays for grammar and punctuation. The software allows you to edit videos on your computer. This film has been edited for television. an anthology of ancient poetry edited by a local professor See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In 2018, Green addressed rumors that his departure from the site prompted Tumblr to remove the ability to edit reblogged posts. —

Morgan Sung, NBC News, 9 Jan. 2023 Subscribers will also have the ability to edit their tweets, something normal users, as of now, cannot do. —

Justin Klawans, The Week, 11 Dec. 2022 Twitter Blue cost $5 a month and gave people the ability to edit their tweets for thirty minutes after posting. —

Nathan Grayson, Washington Post, 11 Nov. 2022 Nevertheless, the trial marks the first time it’s been shown to be safe to edit the genomes of cells in the body. —

Grace Browne, WIRED, 28 Dec. 2022 When asked by a church colleague to edit the newsletter, Broussard initially declined. —

Nathaniel Rich Stacy Kranitz, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2022 Rather than straightaway turning in the essay, the student decides to edit the essay. —

Lance Eliot, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2022 The rogue narrative in many ways had already been in the popular media going back to 2015 when Junjiu Huang used CRISPR to edit the first human embryos. —

Megan Molteni, STAT, 13 Dec. 2022 After a brief tutorial that introduces elements of Lawson's history, players can select preexisting games to edit or create their own. —

Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 1 Dec. 2022

Noun

To remind yourself to do a seasonal edit, block off some dates in your Google calendar now. —

Petra Guglielmetti, Glamour, 12 Jan. 2023 At the turn of this fresh start, Manila Killa takes a moment to celebrate his own past with the official release of a live edit that’s been central to his career so far. —

Katie Bain, Billboard, 6 Jan. 2023 Gerard had a part in snowboarder Ben Ferguson’s highly anticipated film Fleeting Time, which premiered this fall, and the two are looking to put together another short film this upcoming year—not a full length, but a good edit set to music. —

Michelle Bruton, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022 The audio, which is from a fan edit and has been used over 475,000 times, shows people doing the same dance or a similar version; @raasibomma and @llalouu_ on TikTok used the viral moment to show off their own cultural moves. —

Brahmjot Kaur, NBC News, 5 Dec. 2022 Now the Doors’ camp has come up with a suitable edit that skirts around that child’s play — and supplemented it with some other bluesy studio outtakes and a live mini-set that had the band joined on stage by guitar great Albert King. —

Chris Willman, Variety, 25 Nov. 2022 Scorsese’s editor Thelma Schoonmaker told IndieWire Wolf of Wall Street was originally a four-hour edit (though Scorsese and studio sources have downplayed its existence). —

James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Nov. 2022 The most common way is an announcement on social media with a photoshopped edit and a message to go with it. —

Dallas News, 21 Sep. 2022 There are also other marriages that don't make the final edit. —

Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 8 Aug. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'edit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.