scrape, swipe, rub, oil, sweep, brush, spray, wash, bathe, daub, soak, rinse, bleach, buff, polish, scrub, wax, squirt, sluice, burnish, cleanse, dab, dust, vacuum, wipe (off), scour, dust off, mop, swiffer (the floor), beat (a rug), hose, powerwash, squeegee, scritch

chuck, pick up, discard, dispose of, throw out/away, scrap, right, straighten, order, remove, organize, systematize, purge, arrange, clean up, smooth out, clear off, put (into drawers), tidy, neaten, rummage through, sort (through), empty (waste basket), fluff up (pillows), make one's bed, plump up (pillows), tie (back/up)

divert, manipulate, play with, maneuver, fabricate, devise, suppress, hide, secrete, evade, conceal, camouflage, simulate, pretend, belie, impersonate, veil, mask, cover up, shroud, disguise, pose, blind, shade, distract, front, spin, trick, double-deal, fudge, bluff, twist the truth, feign, fake, concoct (a story), misrepresent, gloss over, mislead, sham, hustle, jive, bull, warp, pique, obfuscate, twist (information), finesse, muddle, delude, obscure (information), cover over/up, outwit, convince, persuade, whitewash, outfox, masquerade as, flatter, seduce, beguile, distort (facts), insinuate, disseminate (misinformation), propagandize, oversimplify, vilify, equivocate, prevaricate, palter, counterfeit, dissimulate, hoax, machinate, neglect to (inform), exclude (information), omit (information), keep quiet, withhold, fail to (disclose), zip one's lips, keep something to oneself, refuse to disclose, keep secret, dissemble, refrain from, swear to secrecy, gatecrash

complicate, advance, theorize, illustrate, vet, research, verify, substantiate, argue, summarize, reference, quote, propose, cite, back up, defend, contradict, counter, put forward, prove, validate, disprove, refute, format, hypothesize, postulate, posit, rebut, annotate, problemetize, footnote, précis, expound (on ideas)

standardize, organize, dictate, present, outline, sketch, draft, curate, storyboard, communicate, impose, specify, brief, summarize, list, streamline, follow up/through, copyedit, write copy

type, highlight, outline, draft, write up, scribble, delete, cross out, simplify, omit, craft, compose, sketch out, input, dash off, jot down (notes for a story), bang out, develop (premise/characters/plot), abandon (the opening), flesh out, dip (a pen into ink), jot down (ideas), sharpen (a quill or a pencil), change (a print cartridge)

tweak, remove, whittle down, review, fact-check, rethink, correct, edit, structure, restructure, critique, revise, rewrite, eliminate, expunge, truncate, look over, omit, wrestle with, mark up, clarify, redact, clean up (sentences), blue-pencil, assess (the strength of the writing), evaluate (the reliability of the narrator), cut (the first twelve pages), organize (chronology), move (text), switch (order of scenes), tighten (dialog), add (suspense), unify (voice), flesh out (characters/scenes/settings), annotate, copy/paste

pair, imagine, expand, collaborate, cross, rethink, ship, reimagine

tighten, arc, break down, scan, imagine, stimulate, distort, depict, illustrate, invent, vilify, translate, summarize, interpret, recount, reveal, disclose, foresee, blog, craft, scribe, script (a screenplay), write (verse/poetry), quicken (the tempo), compose (poems/songs), ramp up (the drama), retell, cover (a region/subject), ration out (details), hold in suspense, fictionalize (historical events), clean up (language), transliterate, historicize

contract, pitch, dictate, market, censor, authorize, hype, issue, shop, excerpt, acknowledge, copyright, dedicate, notify, sign (contract), referee, annotate, publish, establish (oneself as an authority on the subject), feature (excerpt in a magazine), solicit (endorsements), work with (an editor to produce a better draft), blurb

type, mark, scrawl, inscribe, pencil, write, scribble, underscore, italicize, underline, punctuate, input, etch (in clay), put down (on the page), autograph, initial, scribe, enter (in a diary), score (the paper), sign (one's signature/initials), kern

press, dig, paint, destroy, highlight, outline, illuminate, call attention to, investigate, depict, expose, research, brainstorm, fact-check, interview, demand, reference, ask, quote, cite, write, conclude, harken back to, recount, double-check, uncover, support (an argument), shed light on, shine light on, hearken, cross-reference

arc, repeat, personify, sanitize, stimulate, illustrate, target, soften (the tone), simplify, educate, teach, sequence, clean up (language), rhyme, capture (one's imagination), capture (the imagination), engage (the imagination)