plural do-overs
: a new attempt or opportunity to do something after a previous attempt has been unsuccessful or unsatisfactory
Art, unlike life, permits do-overs: the illusion that one can get things right with craft and persistence.Kahn Man
As for his pitch, Keaton's first try was in the dirt. He requested a do-over and fired one right down the middle.Steve Rushin

Examples of do-over in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But do-overs don’t just exist in the playing of video games. Gabriela Riccardi, Quartz, 21 Apr. 2024 The school board passed the charter policy Feb. 13, but the charter association forced a do-over vote on March 16 because McKenna, 83, who was recovering from surgery, had not properly signed into the earlier meeting from his home. Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024 About a mile away in a commercial strip, the housing authority is attempting another novel do-over: converting a former doctor’s office — that also had a stint as a tattoo parlor — into 15 units of housing. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Mark Harris on Tuesday won the Republican nomination in North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District six years after a ballot-harvesting scandal resulted in an election do-over. Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024 Seasoned awards show host Jimmy Kimmel believes Jo Koy should get a Golden Globes do-over after a disastrous debut earlier this year. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 4 Mar. 2024 The do-over in The Gentlemen that improves on the original is the one that doubles down on its potential instead of shrinking from it. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2024 Many analysts believe McCormick would have been a more formidable opponent to Fetterman than Oz and are hoping for a do-over in a face off against Casey. USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 Lee Connolly, creative director of production company Penny Lane Entertainment, who are producing the awards show, pointed out that although audiences at home will watch an edited version with a slight delay, there are no do-overs in the room. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'do-over.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of do-over was in 1912

Dictionary Entries Near do-over

Cite this Entry

“Do-over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/do-over. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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