dress rehearsal

noun

Synonyms of dress rehearsalnext
1
: a full rehearsal (as of a play) in costume and with stage properties shortly before the first performance
2
: a practice exercise for something to come : dry run

Examples of dress rehearsal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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At the time of the picture, NASA teams were hard at work preparing for the Artemis 2 wet dress rehearsal, when the rocket is fully fueled ahead of a mock launch, allowing engineers to isolate and troubleshoot lingering issues with the hardware and countdown. Anthony Wood, Space.com, 11 Feb. 2026 The show requires extensive script changes and dress rehearsals ahead of the taping in the evening, and contestants are building out their acts throughout the week. Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026 The friends estimate the item weighed between 45 and 50 pounds and said that many people were struggling to keep it on for hours at a time during dress rehearsals. Sara Donchey, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026 This was part of Project Vend, a company-wide dress rehearsal of Claude’s capacity to run a small business. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dress rehearsal

Word History

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dress rehearsal was in 1812

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Cite this Entry

“Dress rehearsal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dress%20rehearsal. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

dress rehearsal

noun
: a rehearsal of a play in costume and with stage properties shortly before the first performance

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