undo

[uhn-doo]

verb (used with object)

undid, undone, undoing. 

1. to reverse the doing of; cause to be as if never done.

   Murder once done can never be undone.

2. to do away with; erase; efface.

   to undo the havoc done by the storm.

3. to bring to ruin or disaster; destroy.

   In the end his lies undid him.

4. to unfasten by releasing.

   to undo a gate; to undo a button.

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

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

7. Archaic.,  to explain; interpret.

undo

/ ʌnˈduː /

verb

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

2. to reverse the effects of

3. to cause the downfall of

4. obsolete,  to explain or solve

Other Word Forms

• undoable adjective
• undoer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of undo¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English undōn; cognate with Dutch ontdoen; un- ², do ¹

Example Sentences

“While nothing can undo the harm he suffered, today’s $20 million settlement awarded to his surviving siblings and grandmother provides some measure of support as they continue to heal,” she said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

“We have very large differences, on healthcare, and on their ability to undo whatever budget we agree to, through rescissions and through impoundment,” Schumer said.

From Los Angeles Times

That Budget, says John Caudwell, with its £25bn rise in employers' National Insurance, undid a lot of the goodwill the chancellor had garnered.

From BBC

"Amorim being so stubborn in what he's trying to do could be the undoing of him down the line," he said.

From BBC

They live on in the ground itself, demanding generations of courage and resources to undo.

From Salon

Related Words

• abolish 
• annul 
• destroy 
• mar 
• negate 
• offset 
• overturn 
• quash 
• reverse 
• ruin 
• shatter 
• spoil 
• subvert 
• undermine 
• wipe out 
• wreck