Redact
verb ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
- 1 someone who puts text into appropriate form for publication wordnet
- 1 To censor, to black out or remove parts of a document while leaving the remainder. transitive, usually
"The military will redact the document before releasing it, blacking out sections that are classified."
- 2 prepare for publication or presentation by correcting, revising, or adapting wordnet
- 3 To black out legally protected sections of text in a document provided to opposing counsel, typically as part of the discovery process.
- 4 formulate in a particular style or language wordnet
- 5 To reduce to form, as literary matter; to digest and put in shape (matter for publication); to edit.
"[…] the account of his second expedition was carefully redacted, […]"
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 To draw up or frame a decree, statement, etc. rare
"The Oath is redacted ; pronounced aloud by President Bailly, — and indeed in such a sonorous tone, that the cloud of witnesses, even outdoors, hear it, and bellow response to it."
- 7 To bring together in one unit; to combine or bring together into one. obsolete
"Octauianus Augustus, his successor and nevewe, redacte in to oon monarchy the realmes of alle the worlde."
- 8 To gather or organize works or ideas into a unified whole; to collect, order, or write in a written document or to put into a particular written form. obsolete
"yere, laborede and founde the arte of logike; þe rewles of whom and causes of þe begynnenge Plato fyndenge encreasede hit moche; but Aristotille redacte hit in an arte."
- 9 To insert or assimilate into a written system or scheme. obsolete, rare
- 10 To bring an area of study within the comprehension capacity of a person. obsolete, rare
- 11 To reduce to a particular condition or state, especially one that is undesirable. obsolete
"[…] the grite penuritie and indigence quhairunto the puir handy-labouraris, and utheris his hienes subiectis of all esteatis ar redactit be that occasioun, […]"
- 12 To reduce something physical to a certain form, especially by destruction. obsolete
"[…] the principall mans or manerie of thame lordis Erilis of Orchadie hes beine syndrie tymis brint and redactit till nocht […]"
Example
More examples"The military will redact the document before releasing it, blacking out sections that are classified."
Etymology
From Old French redacter, from Latin redactus, perfect passive participle of redigō (“drive, lead, collect, reduce”), from re- (“back”) + agō (“put in motion, drive”). Piecewise doublet of react.
Related phrases
More for "redact"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.