Big Rewrite

Noun · Slang & Abbreviations

Definitions

  1. A sweeping plan to rebuild a system from scratch rather than improving it incrementally. In engineering slang, the big rewrite is usually discussed with caution because it promises clarity while hiding enormous delivery and migration risk.

    In plain English: A plan to replace a system with a full rewrite.

    Example: "Everyone loved the big rewrite until someone asked how the team would keep shipping customer fixes during the eighteen months it would consume."

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