All blue pencil synonyms

verb blue pencil

• abridge — to reduce the length of (a written work) by condensing or rewriting
• remove — to move from a place or position; take away or off: to remove the napkins from the table.
• destroy — To destroy something means to cause so much damage to it that it is completely ruined or does not exist any more.
• forbid — to command (a person) not to do something, have something, etc., or not to enter some place: to forbid him entry to the house.
• rewrite — to write in a different form or manner; revise: to rewrite the entire book.
• copyedit — to edit (a manuscript, document, text, etc.) for publication, especially for punctuation, spelling, grammatical structure, style, etc.
• shorten — to make short or shorter.
• play down — a dramatic composition or piece; drama.
• wipe out — an act of wiping: He gave a few quick wipes to the furniture.
• obliterate — to remove or destroy all traces of; do away with; destroy completely.
• abolish — If someone in authority abolishes a system or practice, they formally put an end to it.
• negate — to deny the existence, evidence, or truth of: an investigation tending to negate any supernatural influences.
• delete — If you delete something that has been written down or stored in a computer, you cross it out or remove it.
• omit — to leave out; fail to include or mention: to omit a name from a list.
• invalidate — to render invalid; discredit.
• veto — the power or right vested in one branch of a government to cancel or postpone the decisions, enactments, etc., of another branch, especially the right of a president, governor, or other chief executive to reject bills passed by the legislature.
• void — Law. having no legal force or effect; not legally binding or enforceable.
• undo — to reverse the doing of; cause to be as if never done: Murder once done can never be undone.
• quash — to put down or suppress completely; quell; subdue: to quash a rebellion.
• offset — something that counterbalances, counteracts, or compensates for something else; compensating equivalent.
• abrogate — If someone in a position of authority abrogates something such as a law, agreement, or practice, they put an end to it.
• repeal — to revoke or withdraw formally or officially: to repeal a grant.
• rescind — to abrogate; annul; revoke; repeal.
• torpedo — a self-propelled, cigar-shaped missile containing explosives and often equipped with a homing device, launched from a submarine or other warship, for destroying surface vessels or other submarines.
• knock out — to strike a sounding blow with the fist, knuckles, or anything hard, especially on a door, window, or the like, as in seeking admittance, calling attention, or giving a signal: to knock on the door before entering.
• ravage — to work havoc upon; damage or mar by ravages: a face ravaged by grief.
• smash — to break to pieces with violence and often with a crashing sound, as by striking, letting fall, or dashing against something; shatter: He smashed the vase against the wall.
• obscure — (of meaning) not clear or plain; ambiguous, vague, or uncertain: an obscure sentence in the contract.
• cut back — If you cut back something such as expenditure or cut back on it, you reduce it.
• minimize — to reduce to the smallest possible amount or degree.
• shave — to remove a growth of beard with a razor.
• pare — Ambroise [ahn-brwaz] /ɑ̃ˈbrwaz/ (Show IPA), 1510–90, French surgeon.
• prune — a variety of plum that dries without spoiling.
• mow — Chiefly Northern and North Midland U.S. to store (hay) in a barn.
• shear — to cut (something).
• vacate — to give up possession or occupancy of: to vacate an apartment.
• dissolve — to make a solution of, as by mixing with a liquid; pass into solution: to dissolve salt in water.
• blacklist — If someone is on a blacklist, they are seen by a government or other organization as being one of a number of people who cannot be trusted or who have done something wrong.
• suppress — to put an end to the activities of (a person, body of persons, etc.): to suppress the Communist and certain left-leaning parties.
• withhold — to hold back; restrain or check.
• rearrange — to place in proper, desired, or convenient order; adjust properly: to arrange books on a shelf.
• compose — The things that something is composed of are its parts or members. The separate things that compose something are the parts or members that form it.
• prepare — to put in proper condition or readiness: to prepare a patient for surgery.
• arrange — If you arrange an event or meeting, you make plans for it to happen.
• censor — If someone in authority censors letters or the media, they officially examine them and cut out any information that is regarded as secret.
• choose — If you choose someone or something from several people or things that are available, you decide which person or thing you want to have.
• publish — to issue (printed or otherwise reproduced textual or graphic material, computer software, etc.) for sale or distribution to the public.
• compile — When you compile something such as a report, book, or programme, you produce it by collecting and putting together many pieces of information.
• annotate — If you annotate written work or a diagram, you add notes to it, especially in order to explain it.
• adapt — If you adapt to a new situation or adapt yourself to it, you change your ideas or behaviour in order to deal with it successfully.