undo
Americanverb (used with object)
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to reverse the doing of; cause to be as if never done.
Murder once done can never be undone.
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to do away with; erase; efface.
to undo the havoc done by the storm.
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to bring to ruin or disaster; destroy.
In the end his lies undid him.
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to unfasten by releasing.
to undo a gate; to undo a button.
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to untie or loose (a knot, rope, etc.).
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to open (a package, wrapping, etc.).
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Archaic. to explain; interpret.
verb
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(also intr) to untie, unwrap, or open or become untied, unwrapped, etc
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to reverse the effects of
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to cause the downfall of
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obsolete to explain or solve
Other Word Forms
- undoable adjective
- undoer noun
Etymology
Origin of undo
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English undōn; cognate with Dutch ontdoen; un- 2, do 1
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.
Much of the talk in the build up centred around Scotland's vulnerability in last 20 minutes, but it was a sluggish start that undid Gregor Townsend's side.
From BBC
The polls suggest voters don't give much credit to politicians for undoing what many of their own MPs and members would consider mistakes they've made themselves.
From BBC
He was the 1920s utility entrepreneur who built the electricity revolution until the valuations that came along with it unraveled and undid him.
All of the romance and wistfulness of the concert can’t undo years of heartbreak and resentment.
From Salon
The difference in the scores “demonstrates that even minimal work intrusions can undo the psychological benefits of time off,” says DeVoe.
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.
