Unring

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To retract or reverse something that has already been said or done, as in the saying that a bell once rung cannot be silenced again
2. Undoing an event or statement after it has taken effect, something that cannot be fully withdrawn once it has happened
3. To reverse the impact of a past remark or action so that it seems never to have occurred at all

Etymology: "Unring" is formed from the prefix "un-", meaning "reverse" or "undo," attached to the verb "ring." The combination follows a pattern English has used for centuries, as in "undo," "unwrap," and "untie," where "un-" signals that an action is being reversed. Here it reverses the sound of a bell or similar object, which is the original sense of "ring." The word's usefulness comes from the phrase "you can't unring a bell," a figurative saying meaning that once something has been said or revealed, its effects cannot be taken back. Because the verb describes a physical impossibility, it has become a handy way to talk about retracting words, announcements, or other irreversible disclosures.

Synonyms: retract, recall, undo, take back