rewrite

1 of 2

verb

re·​write (ˌ)rē-ˈrīt 

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

transitive verb

1

: 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

2

: to write in reply

intransitive verb

: to revise something previously written

rewriter noun

rewrite

2 of 2

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

Examples of rewrite in a Sentence

Verb

The teacher asked him to rewrite the essay.

I had to rewrite the computer program.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. —John Lynch, Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026

The next era of workplace innovation is here—and the old playbook is being rewritten. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026

Noun

This wasn’t the rewrite of a horror story that began more than a decade ago. —Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026

One Mile was written by John Hlavin based on an idea by Kaplan’s daughter, Jaiden Kaplan, with rewrites by TJ Brady and Rasheed Newson who worked on Kapital’s Showtime series The Chi. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1567, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Noun

1901, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing rewrite

• rewrite history
• rewrite man
• rewrite rule

Rhymes for rewrite

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight

Kids Definition

rewrite

1 of 2 verb

re·​write (ˈ)rē-ˈrīt 

rewrote -ˈrōt  ; rewritten -ˈrit-ən  ; rewriting -ˈrīt-ing 

: to write over again : revise

rewriter

-ˈrīt-ər

noun

rewrite

2 of 2 noun

re·​write ˈrē-ˌrīt 

: something rewritten