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definitions

edit

[ed-it]
See more synonyms for edit on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  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 by out): The author has edited out all references to his own family.
  5. to add (usually followed by in).
  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
  1. an instance of or the work of editing: automated machinery that allows a rapid edit of incoming news.

Origin of edit

1785–95; 1915–20 for def 6; partly back formation from editor, partly < French éditer < Latin ēditus published (past participle of ēdere to give out), equivalent to ē- e-1 + -ditus combining form of datus given; cf. datum
Related formsmis·ed·it, verb (used with object)o·ver·ed·it, verbre·ed·it, verb (used with object)un·ed·it·ed, adjectivewell-ed·it·ed, adjective

edit.

  1. edited.
  2. edition.
  3. editor.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for edit

rearrange, compose, prepare, arrange, censor, choose, publish, compile, annotate, adapt, assemble, analyze, select, alter, revise, delete, trim, rehash, excise, rectify

Examples from the Web for edit

Contemporary Examples of edit

Historical Examples of edit

  • I'd rather be her husband than edit a dozen papers like yours.

    The Foolish Lovers

    St. John G. Ervine

  • Why did I edit a newspaper, and plague myself with our time and its interests?

  • It was interesting, but I should have preferred to edit the recapitulation.

  • Dr. Rajendralal Mitra used to edit an illustrated monthly miscellany.

    My Reminiscences

    Rabindranath Tagore

  • I consented to edit it for half ownership, for I had an idea.

    Memoirs

    Charles Godfrey Leland

British Dictionary definitions for edit

edit

verb (tr)
  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 editinggive the book a final edit

Word Origin for edit

C18: back formation from editor
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for edit
v.

1791, perhaps a back-formation from editor, or from French éditer, or from Latin editus, past participle of edere (see edition). Related: Edited; editing. As a noun, by 1960.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper