refactor.
To rewrite existing source code in order to improve its readability, reusability or structure without affecting its meaning or behaviour.
Meaning & usage
To rewrite existing source code in order to improve its readability, reusability or structure without affecting its meaning or behaviour.
The code works, but I must refactor it before it is production quality.
To rewrite existing text in order to improve its readability, reusability or structure without intentionally affecting its meaning. Similar to, but sometimes involving more extensive restructuring than, copy editing.
Two significant activities which to contribute to community projects, such as Wikipedia, are to refactor complicated articles into simpler ones, and to refactor duplicated content into reusable templates.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re-der. Old French re-bor. Middle English re- English re- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁k- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁kyéti Proto-Italic *θakjō Proto-Italic *fakjō Latin faciō Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Latin factorbor. Middle French facteurbor. ▲ Latin factorbor. Anglo-Norman factourbor. Middle English factour English factor English refactor From re- + factor.
The process by which source code is refactored.
We don't have time for a major refactor; we're shipping in two weeks.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re-der. Old French re-bor. Middle English re- English re- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁k- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁kyéti Proto-Italic *θakjō Proto-Italic *fakjō Latin faciō Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Latin factorbor. Middle French facteurbor. ▲ Latin factorbor. Anglo-Norman factourbor. Middle English factour English factor English refactor From re- + factor.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.