What does redoing mean?
Redoing means doing something again, usually because an earlier attempt was incomplete, unsuccessful, or in need of correction. It is the present participle of the irregular verb “redo,” whose past tense is “redid” and past participle is “redone.” In everyday speech, the word frequently implies that the first effort did not meet the required standard: a writer may redo a paragraph, while a contractor may redo faulty electrical work. It can also have the neutral meaning of repeating an action, as in “We are redoing the survey next month,” although this use is more formal and may suggest that the earlier attempt was discontinued. “Redo” is useful in both practical and figurative contexts, describing anything repeated, revised, or restored before moving forward.
verbTo do or make something again, especially because the first attempt was incomplete, unsatisfactory, or required correction. In formal contexts, it can also mean to repeat an action or repair something.
- To perform an action again.
- To make, repair, or correct something again.
- To repeat a process or undertaking.
"She had to redo the final section of her essay before submitting it."
"We had to redo the experiment because the equipment malfunctioned."
"The designer was asked to redo the layout in a more readable format."
One small prefix can transform “done” into “redo,” while the unusual past tense “redone” completes an irregular trio alongside “redid.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does redoing come from?
Redoing is formed from the productive prefix “re-” and the verb “do.” The prefix comes from Latin “re-,” meaning “again” or “back,” and has long been used in English to indicate repetition, as in “redo,” “rewrite,” and “replay.” The form “redone” is an irregular past participle that preserves the older form of “do” in its participial sense, while “redid” follows the verb’s standard past-tense pattern.
Related word forms
How redoing is actually used
In everyday use, “redo” often implies that the first attempt was flawed or abandoned. In administrative, legal, and technical contexts, it may simply mean to repeat an action without implying fault.