Meaning & use
revising
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“revising” is a form of “revise”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Reading something again and changing it to fix errors or make it better.
Grammar: Takes an object: revising an essay.
Patterns
- revise a draft
- revise something for something
She is revising her essay before handing it in.
The editor is revising the report for clarity.
He spent the evening revising his speech.
verbtransitive
Changing an opinion, plan or figure because of new information.
Grammar: Takes an object such as an estimate, plan or view.
Patterns
- revise an estimate
- revise your opinion
The agency is revising its forecast upward.
After the evidence, he is revising his view of the plan.
They are revising the budget for next year.
verbtransitive or intransitiveBritish
Studying notes again to prepare for an exam.
Grammar: British use; Americans usually say review or study. It can stand alone: I am revising for exams.
Patterns
- revise for an exam
- revise a subject
I am revising for my chemistry exam tonight.
She is revising her history notes in the library.
We spent the weekend revising irregular verbs.
Word forms
| third person singular | revises |
|---|---|
| past tense | revised |
| past participle | revised |
| -ing form | revising |
Common combinations
- revising a draft
- The author is revising a draft of her novel.
- revising for exams
- He is revising for exams all week.
- revising a plan
- The city is revising a plan to build the road.
- revising an estimate
- Analysts are revising estimates after the news.
- revising the rules
- The league is revising the rules for next season.
Synonyms and how they differ
- editing
- Editing is mainly for texts and focuses on corrections, whereas revising can mean deeper changes.
- amending
- Amending is formal and used for laws or documents, while revising is general.
- reviewing
- Reviewing means looking over without necessarily changing, which is how Americans express the exam sense.
- updating
- Updating means bringing something in line with new facts, whereas revising may improve it in other ways too.
Word family
- revision noun
- a change or corrected version
- revised adjective
- changed or corrected
- reviser noun
- a person who revises
- revisionist adjective
- favoring a new interpretation
Commonly confused: revising or revisiting? revising or reviewing?
revising vs revisiting
Revisiting means going back to a place or topic, while revising means changing or studying again.
revising vs reviewing
Reviewing is looking at something closely or writing a critique. In British English, revising can mean studying for a test, while reviewing does not.
Practice
The teacher asked students to spend the weekend ___ their drafts to make the arguments clearer.
Choose one answer.
Revising means changing a draft to improve it. Reversing, reviving and revoking do not describe improving writing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “revising”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.