redo

American

[ree-doo, ree-doo] / riˈdu, ˈriˌdu /

verb (used with object)

redid, redone, redoing

to do again; repeat.
to revise or reconstruct.

to redo the production schedule.
to redecorate or remodel; renovate.

It will cost too much to redo both the kitchen and bathroom.

noun

plural

redos, redo's

the act or an instance of redoing.
something redone.

redo British

/ riːˈduː /

verb

to do over again
informal to redecorate, esp thoroughly

we redid the house last summer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of redo

First recorded in 1590–1600; re- + do ¹

Explanation

To redo something is to do it over again, or to decorate it in a new way. You might redo your nail polish if the old layer is chipped, or redo your grandparents' living room if they're tired of the same old decor. Thank goodness for second chances! Whenever you start over on a project from the beginning, you redo it: "I painted over that self-portrait, because I want to redo it." Or, you might redo your English essay if you bombed the first draft. The word redo is most often used in terms of renovating a space: "Let's redo your kitchen! We can paint the cabinets and use that big piece of marble for the countertop."

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"They turned up still wearing the other show's make-up. We had to dress them and redo everything ... I nearly died," she recalled.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

"I was genuinely terrified that if I didn't redo it and something happened, it would be my fault".

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

MLB did not have the power to redo the court-approved settlement, because Guggenheim could have asked the court to uphold the deal and order the league to abide by it.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026

“This year, we are going to redo the three, it’s going to be a ski-themed tree,” Brown said as he and his team got to work placing colorful ornaments on the tree.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 30, 2025

We’d had to redo and scale it down when it turned out we didn’t have nearly enough green and black pieces.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023