undo
[verb]
Synonyms:
- open, disentangle, loose, unbutton, unfasten, untie
- reverse, annul, cancel, invalidate, neutralize, offset
- ruin, defeat, destroy, overturn, quash, shatter, subvert, undermine, upset, wreck

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Related Idioms: bring down (or low), bring to naught
Related Words: loose, untie

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English Thesaurus: undress/get undressed, take something off/remove, strip (off), get changed, undo, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

un‧do /ʌnˈduː/ verb (past tense undid /-ˈdɪd/, past participle undone /-ˈdʌn/, third person singular undoes /-ˈdʌz/) [transitive]
[Word Family: verb: do, outdo, overdo, redo, undo; noun: deed ≠ misdeed, do, doing; adjective: done, overdone, undone]

1. to open something that is tied, fastened, or wrapped:
The screws can be undone by hand.
I undid the package carefully.
undo your jacket/shirt/bra etc
He undid his coat.

2. to try to remove the bad effects of something you have done:
We cannot undo the damage of a lifetime in only 30 days.
If a medicine is taken again too soon, it may undo all the good that has been done.

3. technical to remove the effect of your previous action on a computer

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

undress/get undressed to take off all your clothes, especially before going to bed. Get undressed is the usual phrase to use in everyday English:
She got undressed and went to bed.
Em felt uncomfortable undressing in front of other people.
take something off/remove to remove a piece of clothing. Remove is more formal than take off:
'It’s warm in here,' said Michael, taking off his jacket.
Take your shoes off before you come in.
Police officers told him to remove his clothes.
strip (off) to take off all or some of your clothes – used especially when you do this quickly, when someone has ordered you to do it, or in a way that is deliberately sexually exciting:
Ben stripped off and got into the shower.
She stripped off her clothes and lay on the bed.
The women in the club screamed and clapped as the male dancers began to strip.
get changed to take off your clothes and put on different clothes:
The boys ran up the stairs to get changed.
I’ll be ready in a second, I just have to get changed.
undo to open a piece of clothing that is fastened:
He started to undo his shirt.
Amy was struggling to undo her belt.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

unfasten to open the two sides of a piece of clothing, bag, belt etc:
It was hot in the waiting-room, so I unfastened my coat.
Please do not unfasten your seatbelt while the vehicle is in motion.
undo to unfasten clothes or unfasten buttons, zips etc on clothes:
My fingers were so cold that I couldn’t undo the buttons.
untie to unfasten the knot that fastens shoes, a tie, a scarf etc:
He untied his shoes and kicked them off.
unbutton to unfasten the buttons on a piece of clothing:
She slowly unbuttoned her blouse.
unzip to unfasten clothes, bags etc by unfastening a zip:
She unzipped the case and took out a thick file.
loosen to unfasten clothes a little, but not completely, in order to make yourself more comfortable:
Carter took off his jacket and loosened his tie.
open to unfasten a bag, box, or other container:
‘Could you open your bag, please?’ said the security guard.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲