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
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.
Metaxas’s sad attempt to rewrite recent history is fitting.
From Salon • May 20, 2026
If that’s true, “Is God Is” presents a compelling reason to keep trying to rewrite the ending.
From Salon • May 19, 2026
On Tuesday, Canada’s chief trade negotiator, Janice Charette, said there is no appetite among federal officials to significantly revise or rewrite USMCA’s underlying terms.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
Last November, Google’s Threat Intelligence Group published a report showing that bad actors are deploying AI-enhanced malware with the capability to rewrite its source code midexecution to avoid antivirus software.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026
“But with that....Ohhh yeah, with that, I could rewrite my own story. You went from chump to champ. Imagine what I could become. The legends. The history! It’s the only way,” he said.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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.
