to supervise or direct the preparation of (a newspaper, magazine, book, etc.); serve as editor of; direct the editorial policies of.
to collect, prepare, and arrange (materials) for publication.
to revise or correct, as a manuscript.
to expunge; eliminate (often followed byout ).
The author has edited out all references to his own family.
to add (usually followed byin ).
to prepare (motion-picture film, video or magnetic tape) by deleting, arranging, and splicing, by synchronizing the sound record with the film, etc.
Genetics. to alter the arrangement of (genes).
Computers. to modify or add to (data or text).
edited.
edition.
editor.
to prepare (text) for publication by checking and improving its accuracy, clarity, etc
to be in charge of (a publication, esp a periodical)
he edits the local newspaper
to prepare (a film, tape, etc) by rearrangement, selection, or rejection of previously filmed or taped material
(tr) to modify (a computer file) by, for example, deleting, inserting, moving, or copying text
(often foll by out) to remove (incorrect or unwanted matter), as from a manuscript or film
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)
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But in overlooked microbial life, especially ciliates, evolution has repeatedly found ways to edit the instructions.
From Science Daily • May 7, 2026
“I’ve made narrative films in the past, but I also work as an editor, so I edit a lot of docs. I was, like, I can do this.”
From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026
It was late and I was sitting in an edit suite at the BBC, having just finished a report about the thefts for the TV News at Ten.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
The company said its software was used to edit 87% of this year’s Oscar-winning productions, including the movies “K-Pop Demon Hunters” and “One Battle After Another.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
Before Gay sent my mother the letter outlining the new plan, she gave it to me to edit.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
