revise
ruh-VYZ
/rɪˈvaɪz/
To re-examine and make alterations to (written or printed matter) in order to improve or amend it.
Implies a thorough review and significant changes, not just minor corrections.
The story behind the word. The word 'revise' comes from the Latin 'revisere', meaning 'to look at again'. It's formed from 're-' (again) and 'videre' (to see). So, when you revise your work, you are literally 'seeing it again' with fresh eyes, often with the intention of making improvements. This root also gives us words like 'vision' and 'review'.
Word relationships
- edit: Often refers to making smaller, more specific corrections or improvements to text.
- amend: To make minor changes to improve or correct, often used for legal documents.
- rewrite: To write something again, often completely, implying more drastic changes than 'revise'.
Commonly confused with
- review: To review is to look over something again; to revise is to look over and make changes.
Word family
- revision (noun): The act or process of revising; a revised version.
- revisable (adjective): Capable of being revised.
Collocations
- revise an essay
- revise a plan
- revise for an exam
- revise thoroughly
Example sentences
- "After receiving feedback, I spent hours to revise my essay, focusing on strengthening my arguments." A student improving their essay.
- "The author decided to revise the entire chapter based on new research findings." An author preparing a new edition.
Memory hook
To REVISE is to RE-VIEW your work and make it better. Re-view and improve
When not to use
Do not use 'revise' for simple proofreading or spell-checking; 'proofread' or 'edit' are more precise for minor corrections.
Fun facts
- In British English, 'revise' is also commonly used to mean 'to study for an exam', as in 'I need to revise for my history test'.
Also appears in
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