rewrite

verb re·write \ (ˌ)rē-ˈrīt \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

rewrote play \(ˌ)rē-ˈrōt\; rewritten play \(ˌ)rē-ˈri-tᵊn\; rewriting play \(ˌ)rē-ˈrī-tiŋ\

transitive verb

1 : to write in reply

2 : to make a revision of (something, such as a story) : cause to be revised: such as

a : to put (contributed material) into form for publication

b : to alter (previously published material) for use in another publication

intransitive verb

: to revise something previously written

—

rewriter

noun

See rewrite defined for English-language learners

See rewrite defined for kids

Examples of rewrite in a Sentence

The teacher asked him to rewrite the essay.
I had to rewrite the computer program.

Recent Examples of rewrite from the Web

Trump has praised Pruitt’s relentless efforts to scrap, delay or rewrite Obama-era environmental regulations.

— michael biesecker, BostonGlobe.com, "EPA’s Pruitt spent millions on security, travel," 7 Apr. 2018
The Discover Westworld site is refreshed, seemingly rewritten by the hosts themselves.

— bryan bishop, The Verge, "A guide to Westworld’s viral marketing, for fans who don’t want to translate binary code," 6 Apr. 2018
Nobody got more out of 2017 than Bardi and her meteoric rise in hip-hop is rewriting rap history books.

— michael saponara, Billboard, "Ranking the Top 7 Songs From Cardi B's 'Invasion of Privacy': Critic's Pick," 6 Apr. 2018
And genomics can help rewrite our DNA source code with techniques like CRISPR.

— john nosta, Fortune, "Commentary: Can Technology Make Us Even More Human?," 5 Apr. 2018
Those changes included rewriting Facebook’s terms of service and severely cutting access to the types of data third-party developers can collect from the company.

— kurt wagner, Recode, "Facebook says Cambridge Analytica may have had data from as many as 87 million people," 4 Apr. 2018
The push to rewrite the first-ever carbon limits on cars and SUVs, which came out of an agreement among federal officials, automakers and the state of California, is sure to spark a major political and legal battle.

— juliet eilperin and brady dennis, chicagotribune.com, "EPA to roll back Obama-era car fuel, emissions standards," 3 Apr. 2018
The push to rewrite the first-ever carbon limits on cars and SUVs, which came out of an agreement among federal officials, automakers and the state of California, is sure to spark a major political and legal battle.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "Andrew McCabe raises $553K on GoFundMe, more than 3 times his goal," 2 Apr. 2018
It’s time to rewrite the Congressional Accountability Act and update the process through which survivors seek justice.

— amanda arnold, The Cut, "Every Female Senator Is Demanding Their Chamber Address Sexual Harassment," 28 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of rewrite

1567

rewrite

noun re·write \ ˈrē-ˌrīt \

1 : a piece of writing (such as a news story) constructed by rewriting

2 : an act or instance of rewriting

Recent Examples of rewrite from the Web

Now, without waiting to outline, let alone complete, his legal rewrite, this new move will unilaterally nullify current standards, Bennett said.

— rene marsh, CNN, "Leaked memo: Pruitt taking control of Clean Water Act determinations," 4 Apr. 2018
But lawmakers largely sidelined Goldberg in their legal rewrite, passing a bill that created a five-member commission to oversee the industry that includes just one direct appointee from the treasurer’s office.

— matt stout, BostonGlobe.com, "Lottery approves controversial HQ move to Dorchester," 27 Mar. 2018
The provision is one of the many under-the-radar consequences slowly emerging from the new tax legislation, the most sweeping rewrite of the tax code in three decades.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "He threatened to kill himself, so police took his guns," 17 Mar. 2018
Lawmakers intended the rewrite to lift most federal mandates off states and school districts.

— michelle hackman, WSJ, "DeVos, Democrats Spar Over School Ratings That Omit Minorities’ Performance," 7 Mar. 2018
The cast and crew are currently working on rewrites and preparing for the show’s next step.

— chris payne, Billboard, "#AlternativeFacts Podcast: Introducing 'Pop-Punk High,' the New York City Musical Where 2003 Rages On," 15 Feb. 2018
Two weeks ago, Republicans passed their massive rewrite of the federal tax code.

— tory newmyer, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: Trump versus Bannon threatens populist economic agenda," 4 Jan. 2018
But nothing short of a complete rewrite could erase the Orientalism that pervades the piece.

— kerry lengel, azcentral, "Theater review: Do Asian actors make ‘The King and I’ more ‘authentic’ at ASU Gammage?," 21 Mar. 2018
So car and technology companies have been lobbying Congress for an expedited process to allow tens of thousands of vehicles like the Cruise AV on the roads ahead of a full rewrite of the safety regulations.

— timothy b. lee, Ars Technica, "Congress debates allowing tens of thousands of cars with no steering wheel," 16 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of rewrite

1901

REWRITE Defined for English Language Learners

rewrite

verb

: to write (something) again especially in a different way in order to improve it or to include new information

REWRITE Defined for Kids

rewrite

verb re·write \ ˌrē-ˈrīt \

rewrote \-ˈrōt\; rewritten \-ˈri-tᵊn\; rewriting \-ˈrī-tiŋ\

: to write over again especially in a different way

Rewrite this confusing sentence.

Learn More about rewrite

See words that rhyme with rewrite Spanish Central: Translation of rewrite Nglish: Translation of rewrite for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of rewrite for Arabic speakers

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