rewrite
Americanverb (used with object)
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to write in a different form or manner; revise.
to rewrite the entire book.
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to write again.
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to write (news submitted by a reporter) for inclusion in a newspaper.
noun
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the news story rewritten.
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something written in a different form or manner; revision.
They loved the rewrite, and said it would be a blockbuster!
verb
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to write (written material) again, esp changing the words or form
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computing to return (data) to a store when it has been erased during reading
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rewritesimple
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rewritessimple
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have rewrittenperfect
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has rewrittenperfect
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am rewritingprogressive
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are rewritingprogressive
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is rewritingprogressive
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have been rewritingperfect progressive
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has been rewritingperfect progressive
Past
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rewrotesimple
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had rewrittenperfect
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was rewritingprogressive
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were rewritingprogressive
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had been rewritingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rewrite
Explanation
When you rewrite something, you start from scratch, writing it again to improve it. You might decide to rewrite a poem after your entire poetry class seems confused by your original version. A newspaper editor might instruct a reporter to rewrite her story, approaching it from a new angle or including more interviews. To rewrite something is to edit it, but the word implies making significant changes — or even starting all over again with a blank piece of paper or computer screen. You can call the new version itself a rewrite too. In journalism, it was once common for a "rewrite man" to work crafting new stories out of other people's reporting.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
DHS is also working on a broader regulation to rewrite the rules of OPT.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
And that will not only change the way we think of sports and athletes, it will completely rewrite the record book.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Employers will have to publish salary information in job adverts under government plans to rewrite anti-discrimination laws.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Bankruptcy stands as a way to rewrite your future, not be forever reprimanded for the mistakes of your past.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
Factions with varying agendas fight to rewrite the events of the past to their advantage.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
"The study rewrites the timeline for the koala's genetic history in Australia," says PhD student Toby Kovacs, who led the research.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
When Euphoria first launched, it quickly became one of the defining shows of its generation, but after a five-year break marked by strikes, rewrites and cast departures, it returned to a noticeably more divided response.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
In situations when clients wanted more-substantial rewrites, I could charge a few hundred dollars for an essay.
From Slate ● Mar. 20, 2026
Simply for the sake of mixing up the challenge and shuffling the pack, F1 rewrites its entire rulebook.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026
“But why do I have to be the one who rewrites the future? We were only trying to get your dashiki back. That’s the only reason we’re here in the first place!”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
The rules of the road on swap dealers were set by Dodd-Frank, the landmark measure that rewrote financial regulations in the wake of the 2008-09 crisis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
But the numbers already racked up by Sinner show how he is undoubtedly tracking Djokovic, Nadal and Federer - who became known as the 'Big Three' as they rewrote the record books.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
“The bill rewrote the math on charitable giving,” says Kevin Knull, chief executive officer of TaxStatus.
From Barron's ● May 9, 2026
Congress responded boldly to that ruling—it rewrote Section 2 of the VRA to allow minority voters to say that plans that had a racially discriminatory effect were vote dilution.
From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2026
“I even rewrote some of the lyrics to the song so it would be okay for school,” I said.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
Institutional judgment becomes meaningless when operational directives can be rewritten on a whim overnight.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
The rules of international trade are being rewritten.
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026
Throughout history, innovations including gunpowder, chemical weapons and airplanes have repeatedly rewritten rules of combat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Both see a need to move homeless people into housing, and both have said that Measure ULA, the city’s tax on high-end property sales, needs to be rewritten to spur apartment construction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
By early July 1844, he had expanded and rewritten the rough pencil draft.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
Even investment professionals are prone to this rewriting of history.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
In the process, they are rewriting the rules of retirement and aging, when people are expected to move into smaller homes to save money.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
But, with each remarkable victory, he is rewriting history at the All England Club.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
“Chaps, I have had a go at rewriting the paper.”
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
Pen and ink lay on the other end of the desk, and a piece of paper three-quarters full of rewriting and crossing out.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
