revise
ri-VYZ
/rɪˈvaɪz/
To examine and improve a piece of writing by making structural, conceptual, or stylistic changes.
Focuses on large-scale alterations like reorganizing paragraphs, strengthening arguments, or changing tone, rather than just fixing typos.
The story behind the word. The word 'revise' traces back to the Latin 'revisere', which literally means 'to look at again'. It is built from 're-' (again) and 'visere' (to look at attentively), which is a relative of 'videre' (to see). When you revise, you are literally casting a fresh eye over your work.
Word relationships
- edit: Editing focuses on surface-level polish (grammar, spelling), while revising involves deep structural changes.
- rework: Rework is more informal and can apply to physical objects, whereas revise is typically applied to texts or plans.
- preserve: Preserve means to keep the text exactly as it is without making any changes.
Commonly confused with
- review: To review is to look over or evaluate something, while to revise is to actually make changes based on that evaluation.
Word family
- revision (noun): The act of revising, or a revised version of something.
- reviser (noun): A person who revises.
Collocations
- revise a manuscript
- heavily revise
- revise a policy
- revise and resubmit
Example sentences
- "I rewrite and revise constantly." A celebrated author discussing her rigorous writing routine.
- "You need to revise your main argument to address the counterarguments raised in chapter three." An academic advisor giving feedback on a thesis.
Memory hook
Think of 're-vision'—gaining a new vision or looking at your work with fresh eyes. See it again with fresh eyes.
When not to use
Do not confuse with 'edit' when you are only correcting minor spelling or punctuation mistakes.
Fun facts
- In British English, 'revising' is also the standard term for studying or cramming before an exam.
Also appears in
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.