retweet

A retweet is a feature on social media that allows a user to share another user’s post with their own followers, preserving the original author's attribution. Retweeting increases the reach of content beyond its initial audience and can indicate endorsement or interest by the sharer. On X (formerly Twitter), users can forward posts as standard retweets or add brief commentary via a separate option.

Historically, users often copied posts and prefixed them with "RT" to acknowledge the original source. In 2009 Twitter introduced an official retweet function to simplify this process and maintain attribution. In 2015, the platform added a quote-tweet feature, enabling users to attach their own text or media to the shared post. The standard retweet forwards the original content; the quote tweet embeds the content with the sharer's commentary.

Retweeting shapes information diffusion, engagement, and online discourse. It helps disseminate news and opinions quickly but also can amplify misinformation, sensational content, or privacy-sensitive posts if shared without consent. Users should consider accuracy, context, and rights before retweeting, and platforms often offer controls to limit or manage sharing. Related concepts include sharing, quote tweets, and reposting.