edit
/ˈed.ɪt/ IELTSAcademic
verb
To change text, images, audio, or video to make them better, shorter, clearer, or correct errors.
- Please edit the photo before posting it.
- She edited the essay for grammar mistakes.
- We need to edit the video down to five minutes.
noun
A changed or improved version of a text, image, audio file, or video.
- This is the final edit of the article.
- He sent me a quick edit of the poster.
- The director approved the first edit.
Adinary Nuance
Edit is more specific than change. You edit something when you improve it, correct it, or prepare it for publication. In writing and media, edit is the normal word; change is too general.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- chỉnh sửa
- Spanish
- editar
- Chinese
- 编辑
- Japanese
- 編集する
- Korean
- 편집하다
Etymology
Edit comes from Latin editus, from edere meaning “to put out” or “publish.” It entered English in the 1600s, first meaning “to prepare for publication.”
Common phrases
edit a draftedit a videofinal editedit out
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is edit the same as revise?
- They are close, but revise often means rework the content more broadly. Edit often means fix, shorten, or polish it.
- Can I say edit a photo?
- Yes. Edit is very common for photos, videos, and audio too.
- Is edit formal or informal?
- It is neutral and very common in school, work, and media.
- What does edit out mean?
- It means remove something during editing, like a mistake or a scene.