undo

[ uhn-doo ]

/ ʌnˈdu /

See synonyms for: undo / undid / undoing / undone on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), un·did [uhn-did], /ʌnˈdɪd/, un·done [uhn-duhn], /ʌnˈdʌn/, un·do·ing.

to reverse the doing of; cause to be as if never done: Murder once done can never be undone.

to do away with; erase; efface: to undo the havoc done by the storm.

to bring to ruin or disaster; destroy: In the end his lies undid him.

to unfasten by releasing: to undo a gate; to undo a button.

to untie or loose (a knot, rope, etc.).

to open (a package, wrapping, etc.).

Archaic. to explain; interpret.

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

In our third teacher-created PSAT practice test there are new and unique vocabulary terms you may have never heard of! Can you guess what they mean?

Question 1 of 10

seclusion

a false belief or opinion.

the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.

the state of being isolated, kept apart, or withdrawn into solitude.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of undo

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English undōn; cognate with Dutch ontdoen; see origin at un-², do¹

OTHER WORDS FROM undo

un·do·a·ble, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH undo

undo , undue

Words nearby undo

undistributed, undistributed middle, undisturbed, undivided, undivided profits, undo, undock, undocumented, undoing, undone, undouble

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for undo

It was probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, because you’re walking in and saying, “The second that this happens, you can’t undo it.”
Full Transcript: Sean Spicer on ‘The Carlos Watson Show’|Daniel Malloy|August 26, 2020|Ozy
Weber argues that voters should pass Proposition 16, which would undo the state’s current ban on affirmative action policies.
Morning Report: SANDAG Head Wades Into Supes Race|Voice of San Diego|August 14, 2020|Voice of San Diego
One example of the work being done to advance systemic change is California’s Proposition 16, which would undo our state’s ban on affirmative action.
COVID-19 Highlighted Pay Disparities; November’s Election Can Help Fix Them|Shirley Weber|August 13, 2020|Voice of San Diego
A union-backed proposal to partially undo a city law restricting union-friendly contracts will have to wait for another election.
Politics Report: Down Goes One Hot-Button Ballot Measure|Andrew Keatts|July 18, 2020|Voice of San Diego

So I’m just undoing the wrong that these earlier presidents did.
Does the President Matter as Much as You Think? (Ep. 404)|Stephen J. Dubner|February 6, 2020|Freakonomics
But then the question becomes, how do you undo gerrymandering?
Seriously, Democrats: You’re Done in Dixie|Michael Tomasky|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And yet, ultimately, the Supreme Court holds the power to uphold or undo what it has taken him years to accomplish.
From POTUS to SCOTUS: Obama’s Big Move?|Keli Goff|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Underlying all of this legal maneuvering is the social fact that marriages are hard to undo.
Gay Marriage Chaos Begins|Jay Michaelson|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The wind and the dust in this climate can undo even the hardiest things.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq|Nathan Bradley Bethea|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was trying to undo the Great Society, and he basically said that in his memoir.
The Real Legacy of Richard Nixon|Scott Porch|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Millner, as mechanically, took one of the virginally cinctured cigars, and began to undo its wrappings.
Tales Of Men And Ghosts|Edith Wharton
No healing process can help you here to undo your clumsy surgery and want of skill.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 369, July 1846|Various
But now nothing could undo or deny that flash of fact, that for a second they had been glad to be interrupted.
The Ball and The Cross|G.K. Chesterton
A false move on our part might undo everything and ruin our cause.
Walter and the Wireless|Sara Ware Bassett
You might undo the work of weeks, make the patient's ultimate recovery doubtful.
The Higher Court|Mary Stewart Daggett

British Dictionary definitions for undo

undo

/ (ʌnˈduː) /

verb -does, -doing, -did or -done (mainly tr)

(also intr) to untie, unwrap, or open or become untied, unwrapped, etc

to reverse the effects of

to cause the downfall of

obsolete to explain or solve

Derived forms of undo

undoer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

undo

verb (used with object), un·did [uhn-did], /ʌnˈdɪd/, un·done [uhn-duhn], /ʌnˈdʌn/, un·do·ing.

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

Origin of undo

OTHER WORDS FROM undo

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH undo

Words nearby undo

Example sentences from the Web for undo

British Dictionary definitions for undo

verb -does, -doing, -did or -done (mainly tr)

Derived forms of undo

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

undo

verb (used with object), un·did [uhn-did], /ʌnˈdɪd/, un·done [uhn-duhn], /ʌnˈdʌn/, un·do·ing.

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

Origin of undo

OTHER WORDS FROM undo

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH undo

Words nearby undo

Words related to undo

Example sentences from the Web for undo

British Dictionary definitions for undo

verb -does, -doing, -did or -done (mainly tr)

Derived forms of undo