Jump To:

• edit
  edit

  verb (used with object)

  to supervise or direct the preparation of (a newspaper, magazine, book, etc.); serve as editor of; direct the editorial policies of.
• edit.
  edit.

  abbreviation

  edited.

edit

¹ American  

[ed-it] / ˈɛd ɪt /

verb (used with object)

• edits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• edited,
  past participle,  past
• editing
  present participle

1. to supervise or direct the preparation of (a newspaper, magazine, book, etc.); serve as editor of; direct the editorial policies of.

2. to collect, prepare, and arrange (materials) for publication.

3. to revise or correct, as a manuscript.

4. to expunge; eliminate (often followed byout ).

   The author has edited out all references to his own family.

5. to add (usually followed byin ).

6. to prepare (motion-picture film, video or magnetic tape) by deleting, arranging, and splicing, by synchronizing the sound record with the film, etc.

7. Genetics. to alter the arrangement of (genes).

8. Computers. to modify or add to (data or text).

---

noun

• edits
  plural

1. an instance of or the work of editing.

   automated machinery that allows a rapid edit of incoming news.

edit. ² American  

abbreviation

1. edited.

2. edition.

3. editor.

---

edit British  

/ ˈɛdɪt /

verb

1. to prepare (text) for publication by checking and improving its accuracy, clarity, etc

2. to be in charge of (a publication, esp a periodical)

   he edits the local newspaper

3. to prepare (a film, tape, etc) by rearrangement, selection, or rejection of previously filmed or taped material

4. (tr) to modify (a computer file) by, for example, deleting, inserting, moving, or copying text

5. (often foll by out) to remove (incorrect or unwanted matter), as from a manuscript or film

---

noun

1. informal an act of editing

   give the book a final edit

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overedit
  verb
• misedit
  verb (used with object)
• reedit
  verb (used with object)
• unedited
  adjective
• well-edited
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• edits
  plural

Participles

• editing
  present
• edited
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• edit
  simple
• edits
  simple
• have edited
  perfect
• has edited
  perfect
• am editing
  progressive
• are editing
  progressive
• is editing
  progressive
• have been editing
  perfect progressive
• has been editing
  perfect progressive

Past

• edited
  simple
• had edited
  perfect
• was editing
  progressive
• were editing
  progressive
• had been editing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will edit
  simple
• will have edited
  perfect
• will be editing
  progressive
• will have been editing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of edit

First recorded in 1785–95; 1915–20 edit for def. 6; partly back formation from editor, partly from French éditer, verb derivative of Latin ēditus “published, given out,” past participle of ēdere “to give out,” from ē- e- ¹ + -dere, combining form of dare “to give” ( cf. datum)

Explanation

The verb edit means to prepare writing for publication by correcting, revising, or proofreading. If you write for a newspaper, someone very skilled will edit your work before the public sees it. Edit can also mean to cut out. If you edit out all the references to Harry Potter from the famous series, you'll be left with much shorter books. Edit likely comes from the noun editor, meaning the person in charge of a final version of a text. You might also hear edit used when referring to video or film. If you edit a television show, for example, you assemble pieces of video or film footage to create a complete program.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

edit edit. edits edited editing

Conrad: The Barry White song they danced to came in the edit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

The good news is that we figured out how to edit the code of life with Crispr and tamed sickle-cell disease and hepatitis C. We did the scientific heavy lifting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

"We had to edit more, fact-check more because the data AI produced was inaccurate," she says.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Li's team has grown to seven members working together to advertise online and to passersby, drive the bikes, and edit the footage, with each rider attracting around six to 12 customers a night.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

"That, and how to edit the files. And where to insert the instructions in the files."

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

“You cannot edit. You’re dealing with real sets and real props, lit by real light. Stop-motion is to live-action what Ginger Rogers is to Fred Astaire: We do the same steps, backwards in high heels.”

From New York Times ● Jan. 3, 2023

"You're properly live, you can get people on the phone, and it's just happening in that moment. And whatever you say, that's it, there's no edit. And I've really enjoyed the slot."

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2022

Far from being depressing, Prengaman said that “it’s a really rewarding thing to work on, to edit. It really teaches you the value of people’s lives.”

From Washington Times ● Jun. 3, 2020

“He could write. He could edit. He could design pages. He was just a jack of all trades and a fantastic person.”

From The Guardian ● Jun. 29, 2018

When I was handed this story, I just thought, “Oh wow, another story to edit. Gee, this is great! I wish I could do this every day.”

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

If a fund offers high income, Leyla Kunimoto, a private investor who edits Accredited Investor Insights, asks:

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Across YouTube videos, video games, VR experiences and TikTok edits, audiences are located inside the environment itself blurring the boundaries between storytelling, role-playing, tourism and online participation.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

People post photos old and new, blurry and clear, and ask for edits ranging from “Please remove my ex” to “Give me long hair” to “Make this look like a professional headshot.”

From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026

The company said users can also choose from presets and suggested prompts to "spark ideas", as well as sketch edits directly onto images.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

I ain’t been able to see Miss Skeeter in person in six months, since we finished Miss Stein’s edits and turned in the final copy.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

Today’s newsletter was curated and edited by Liz Webber and Cristina Roca in collaboration with Editor in Chief Emma Tucker.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

“The deceptively edited video created by someone unauthorized to be on our property does not reflect the circumstances of the incident accurately.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

The following excerpt of their conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

In a statement issued on Monday afternoon, Manivannan said they were "horrified" that the comments had been "selectively edited in order to mislead people and misrepresent me".

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

I’ve edited together some very dramatic stuff, most of it from movies.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

In a clip on his personal TikTok, Burnham, thanks to clever editing, appears to toss up a mortarboard hat and catch a builder's helmet, as he promotes technical education.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

Through eight flights, 14 days on the road and countless hours in interviews and in the editing room, I got a peek at the moments—both stomach-churning and euphoric—that shaped them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

More than half of workers now use AI at least occasionally at work, according to Gallup, often for writing and editing or research.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

Now the multicam editing community is fighting just to keep their category at the Emmys.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

We wrote the ad together, editing each other as we went.

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

Related Words

• adapt
• alter
• analyze
• annotate
• arrange
• assemble
• censor
• choose
• compile
• compose
• delete
• prepare
• publish
• rearrange
• revise
• select