undo

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   To reverse or cancel the effect of something that has been done.

   Grammar: Takes an object: undo a mistake. Often used with actions or decisions.

   Patterns

   • undo something
   • undo the damage
   • undo a decision

   You can't undo the past, so try to move forward.

   The new manager undid many of the changes made by her predecessor.

   He quickly undid his mistake by apologizing.

2. 2verbtransitive

   To unfasten or open something that is tied, buttoned, or closed.

   Grammar: Takes an object: undo a button. Often used with clothing or fastenings.

   Patterns

   • undo a button
   • undo a knot
   • undo a zip

   She undid her seatbelt and got out of the car.

   He struggled to undo the knot in his shoelaces.

   Please undo the top button of your shirt; it looks too tight.

Word forms

Common combinations

undo the damage

It will take years to undo the damage caused by the storm.

undo a button

He undid a button because it was hot.

undo a mistake

There is no way to undo that mistake.

undo your work

If you click 'undo', you will undo your work.

Synonyms and how they differ

reverse

Reverse is more formal and often used for decisions or trends, while undo is more general and can also mean unfasten.

cancel

Cancel means to decide that something will not happen, while undo means to make something that already happened have no effect.

unfasten

Unfasten is a synonym for the 'open' sense of undo, but it is more formal and less common in everyday speech.

Opposites

Word family

undoing noun

A cause of ruin or a reversal of fortune.

undone adjective

Not finished, or not fastened.

Commonly confused: undo or undue?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “undo”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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