dress rehearsal

noun

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

ArianeGroup has completed a wet dress rehearsal of the Themis reusable booster demonstrator at the Esrange Space Centre in Sweden, European Spaceflight reports. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026

Use strong-arm tactics, such as the confiscation of old ballots, to intimidate officials and possibly serve as a dress rehearsal for federal muscle-flexing in future elections. — James Robenalt, Vanity Fair, 27 July 2026

The Pensacola Beach Air Show events continued as scheduled on Thursday with a practice performance by the Blue Angels, and will be followed with a dress rehearsal on Friday, July 17, and the official air show on Saturday, July 18. — Eleanor Jacobs, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026

Back in Michaels’s Studio 60–esque office between dress rehearsal and the live show, Michaels asked what Bargatze was thinking. — Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 4 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dress rehearsal

• universal
• bursal
• versal
• dispersal
• reversal
• transversal
• traversal

Kids Definition

dress rehearsal

noun

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