a person who edits written material for publication a person in overall charge of the editing and often the policy of a newspaper or periodical a person in charge of one section of a newspaper or periodical: the sports editor a person who makes a selection and arrangement of individual shots in order to construct the flowing sequence of images for a film a device for editing film, including a viewer and a splicer a person in overall control of a programme that consists of various items, such as a news or magazine style programme
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ed•it /ˈɛdɪt/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object]
n. [countable]
edit., an abbreviation of:
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to supervise or direct the preparation of (a publication):Who edits the school newspaper?
- to collect, prepare, and arrange (materials) for publication:She edited the president's speeches.
- Sound Reproduction, Radio and Television, Show Businessto prepare (film, tape, etc.) by deleting, arranging, and changing material:He spent a week editing the film for television.
- Computingto change or modify (computer data or text):I edited the document on screen.
n. [countable]
- Sound Reproduction, Radio and Televisionan instance or the process of editing, as of correcting something:a few minor edits.
edit., an abbreviation of:
- edited.
- edition.
- editor.
ed•i•tor
(ed′i tər),USA pronunciation n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- a person having managerial and sometimes policy-making responsibility for the editorial part of a publishing firm or of a newspaper, magazine, or other publication.
- the supervisor or conductor of a department of a newspaper, magazine, etc.:the sports editor of a newspaper.
- Show Businessa person who edits material for publication, films, etc.
- Electronics, Show Business, Sound Reproductiona device for editing film or magnetic tape.
- Medieval Latin, Late Latin: publisher; see edit, -tor
- 1640–50
ed•it
(ed′it),USA pronunciation v.t.
n.
edit.,
- to supervise or direct the preparation of (a newspaper, magazine, book, etc.);
serve as editor of;
direct the editorial policies of. - to collect, prepare, and arrange (materials) for publication.
- to revise or correct, as a manuscript.
- to expunge;
eliminate (often fol. by out):The author has edited out all references to his own family. - to add (usually fol. by in).
- Sound Reproduction, Radio and Television, Show Businessto prepare (motion-picture film, video or magnetic tape) by deleting, arranging, and splicing, by synchronizing the sound record with the film, etc.
- Geneticsto alter the arrangement of (genes).
- Computingto modify or add to (data or text).
n.
- Sound Reproduction, Radio and Televisionan instance of or the work of editing:automated machinery that allows a rapid edit of incoming news.
- Latin ēditus published (past participle of ēdere to give out), equivalent. to ē- e- + -ditus combining form of datus given; compare datum
- French éditer
- 1785–95; 1915–20 for def. 6; partly back formation from editor, partly
edit.,
- edited.
- edition.
- editor.
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