“update”

To alter or amend something to reflect new information or improved understanding.

“She sat down to revise the proposal before the board meeting, cutting three pages to a single sharp paragraph.”

Best for: Works well in professional or academic settings where careful refinement is implied.

To thoroughly renovate or rework something, often implying significant structural change.

“The engineering team overhauled the entire codebase over a single brutal weekend.”

Best for: Best used when the change is substantial rather than cosmetic — implies heavy lifting.

To refine something through successive cycles of improvement.

“They iterated on the design until every friction point had been smoothed away.”

Best for: Common in tech and design culture; signals a deliberate, methodical improvement process.

To correct or make precise alterations to a text or record.

“The editor emended the manuscript quietly, leaving no trace of the original error.”

Best for: Primarily used in editorial and scholarly contexts; carries a sense of careful precision.

To replace something with a newer or superior version, often displacing what came before.

“The latest figures supplanted last quarter's projections, rendering the old charts obsolete overnight.”

Best for: Useful when emphasizing that the old version is being actively displaced, not merely revised.

To replace an existing obligation or version with something entirely new, originating from legal terminology.

“The contract was novated, erasing every clause that had caused two years of dispute.”

Best for: Rare outside legal and financial writing; striking and precise when used in other domains.