redo
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /riːdˈuː/
US
- /riˈdu/
Description
- do again
- do over
- rework
- remake
- try again
Sometimes things do not go as planned, and that is where "redo" comes in. It means to do something again, usually because the first try was not right. You might need to redo part of a wall after spilling paint, or redo the ending of a story because it does not feel right. A teacher might ask a student to redo some work, or a cook might redo a sauce after tasting it. The word is common when talking about tasks, schoolwork, projects, or parts of a job that need to be done better.
"Redo" usually means to do something again because the first attempt was wrong, weak, incomplete, or simply not good enough. It often suggests fixing, improving, or changing something rather than just repeating it in the same way.
You might redo your homework after making mistakes, redo a presentation after getting feedback, or redo a room in your house to give it a new look. In everyday English, the word can stand in for more specific actions such as rewrite, repaint, rebuild, or remodel, depending on the situation. For example, someone might redo some calculations after finding an error, or redo a drawing after deciding it needs clearer lines.
The amount of change can vary. Sometimes it means making a small fix. Other times, it means starting again from the beginning. That is why the context matters: redoing a sentence may take a minute, but redoing a kitchen may take weeks.
The word is also used as a noun in informal English. A "redo" can mean a new attempt or a revised version of something, as in "The first draft was messy, so this is a redo." This noun use is less formal but very common in speech.
Overall, "redo" is a practical, everyday word for getting another chance to fix, improve, or change something. It is especially common in school, work, creative projects, home improvement, and any situation where the first version is not the final one.
Examples
- 1
Report correction
I made a mistake on the report, so I need to redo the last page.
- 2
Schoolwork
If your answer is too short, the teacher may ask you to redo it.
- 3
Polite request
Could you redo this paragraph so it sounds more professional?
Pattern
redo something so...
do it again in a different or better way
- 4
Home renovation
They redid the kitchen last summer and added more storage.
- 5
Recording problem
The video was blurry, so we had to redo the whole interview.
- 6
Engineering plans
After the first design failed, the bridge plans were completely redone.
- 7
Film production
The director wasn’t happy with that scene and asked for a redo.
Meaning
a redo
another chance to do something again
Forms and spellings
10 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- redonounverb
Forms
- re-didpast tenseverbnoun
- re-doesverbnoun
- re-doing-ing formverbnoun
- re-donepast participleverbnoun
- redonepast participleverbnoun
- redoing-ing formverbnoun
- redidpast tenseverbnoun
- redospluralnounverb
- redoesverbnoun