redact
Americanverb
-
to compose or draft (an edict, proclamation, etc)
-
to put (a literary work, etc) into appropriate form for publication; edit
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of redact
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin redāctus (past participle of redigere “to lead back”), equivalent to red- red- + āctus, past participle of agere “to drive, move, lead”; see act
Explanation
To redact is to arrange or edit text in a written document. Don't get too attached to every word in your rough draft; your teacher will expect you to redact it before handing in your final paper. Redact refers to any kind revising or editing that makes a document better, usually for publication. When you see the prefix re-, you know the word is going to refer to something either being done again or retracted. You can think of redact as redoing writing or taking back some of what was originally said. You'll often see the word redact being used with the prepositions in or into. You might take several documents and redact them into a single one.
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.
While your mother’s bank may decide to redact certain sensitive transaction details, it cannot refuse to disclose all accounting.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
Meanwhile, Claude, which I’ve been using more recently, listed details so specific I’d have to redact them here.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
According to a report by the Washington Post, Patel has directed agents in the bureau’s San Francisco office to redact the case files for public release.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026
The justice department has also faced criticism over its handling of the files, including failing to redact the names of Epstein's victims.
From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026
"Abridge, redact," he exclaims towards the end, but there was no abridgment and no redaction.
From The Life of Froude by Paul, Herbert W. (Herbert Woodfield)
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.
