iterate

American  

[it-uh-reyt] / ˈɪt əˌreɪt /

verb (used with object)

iterated, iterating

1. to do (something) over again or repeatedly.

2. to utter again or repeatedly.

   Synonyms:

   rehearse, repeat, reiterate

3. to develop (a product, process, or idea) by building upon previous versions or iterations, using each version as the point of departure for refinements and tweaks: We iterate the app after each round of customer feedback.

   The manufacturer will iterate production and distribution schedules based on consumer demand.

   We iterate the app after each round of customer feedback.

---

verb (used without object)

iterated, iterating

1. to operate or be applied repeatedly, as a linguistic rule or mathematical formula.

2. to create something by building on previous versions or iterations, using each version as the point of departure for refinements and tweaks.

   The game studio is iterating on all current animation sets to incorporate the popular new characters.

iterate British  

/ ˈɪtəˌreɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to say or do again; repeat

---

Other Word Forms

• iterant adjective
• iteration noun
• uniterated adjective

Etymology

Origin of iterate

First recorded in 1525–35; < Latin iterātus, past participle of iterāre “to repeat, rehearse,” equivalent to iter- (stem of iterum “again”) + -ātus -ate ¹

Example Sentences

"Your brain's fluid system is trying to restore function by pushing the brain to iterate between high-attention and high-flow states."

From Science Daily • Jan. 20, 2026

"We're excited about what the future holds with Meta and Manus working together and we will continue to iterate the product and serve users that have defined Manus from the beginning."

From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025

“I taught myself how to program on the platform and kind of just continued to iterate and eventually had some successful titles before I graduated high school.”

From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025

These conditions will help Chinese companies to engage in a trial-and-error process and iterate on products for practical application, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025

Over the next two hours we submerge ourselves in finding the sums of infinite geometric series, calculating iterate functions, and expanding powers of binomials.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen