proofread
Americanverb (used with object)
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proofreads,
present (3rd person singular)
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proofread,
past participle, past
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proofreading
present participle
verb (used without object)
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proofreads,
present (3rd person singular)
-
proofread,
past participle, past
-
proofreading
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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proofreadsimple
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proofreadssimple
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have proofreadperfect
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has proofreadperfect
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am proofreadingprogressive
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are proofreadingprogressive
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is proofreadingprogressive
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have been proofreadingperfect progressive
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has been proofreadingperfect progressive
Past
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proofreadsimple
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had proofreadperfect
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was proofreadingprogressive
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were proofreadingprogressive
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had been proofreadingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of proofread
1930–35; back formation from proofreader ( see proof, read 1)
Explanation
To proofread is to look over a piece of writing for errors, watching out for spelling mistakes and grammar problems. If you don’t proofread your work, you might write “ham” instead of “harm” and confuse the heck out of your reader. By the time you proofread a piece of writing, it should be almost done. It’s the very last step of the writing process after drafting, editing, and revising. To proofread is to look at the little details of a piece of writing, such as spelling, word choice, formatting, and sentence structure. When you proofread, you look for errors and fix them. You can proofread your own work, but sometimes it’s good to get someone else to proofread what you've written.
Vocabulary lists containing proofread
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Language and Grammar - Introductory
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Journalism
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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:
In May 1962, Cormac McCarthy addressed a letter to the “fiction editor” of Random House—the only publisher he’d heard of—and sent it along with a manuscript he had not proofread.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
It’s a clear no, with the only exceptions being when editors use A.I. to proofread their writing or translate foreign-language entries.
From Slate ● Apr. 1, 2026
Apple said that workers at the new factory in Texas will produce servers for Apple Intelligence, an AI system that can help people write, proofread text and complete other tasks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2025
Kaspar did a Q&A for the Sophia’s Cure YouTube channel from the Gaynors’ dining room and proofread posts Vincent wrote for the charity’s website.
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2025
I type it into my phone and proofread it three times before I hit send.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Scheduling should include time for rewrites, proofreads and secondary reads by friends, colleagues and family members, experts say.
From Nature ● Dec. 19, 2019
Between homework and scholarship applications, Huynh said she usually proofreads her dad’s emails, checking for accurate grammar and punctuation. He keeps a notebook with key vocabulary terms and phrases by his computer to learn daily.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 26, 2018
He also proofreads the game program and can recall statistics, with savant-like accuracy, from Oregon Tech victories 20 years ago.
From New York Times ● Feb. 23, 2012
On the train, she makes more calls and proofreads documents.
From Time Magazine Archive
In addition to adding a slop button, LinkedIn last month said it was phasing out an “enhance your post” feature that encouraged the use of AI tools for proofreading and rewriting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
It will go back to a simple proofreading tool.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Axel Springer has announced job cuts in recent years, pointing in part to the role of artificial intelligence in rendering certain roles such as proofreading obsolete.
From Barron's ● Mar. 6, 2026
New AI tools can assist iPhone, Mac and iPad users with proofreading and composing messages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2024
Now he had to struggle to say something that interested her, something that made her look up from her plate, or from her proofreading files.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
