rehearsal

noun

re·​hears·​al ri-ˈhər-səl 

1

: something recounted or told again : recital

2

a

: a private performance or practice session preparatory to a public appearance

b

: a practice exercise : trial

Synonyms of rehearsal

• practice
• trial
• preview

Examples of rehearsal in a Sentence

She was 15 minutes late to rehearsal.

There are only three more rehearsals before the concert.

Recent Examples on the Web

The full dress rehearsals were performed twice in late October, drawing spectators along both sides of the river. — ABC News, 1 Nov. 2026

In June of 2025, Bob went to Lithuania to stage rehearsals of a new production and then to Ljubljana, Slovenia, to direct Tristan and Isolde. — Keith McDermott, Vanity Fair, 30 Oct. 2026

The single-stage rocket hopper has completed two countdown rehearsals at Esrange Space Center in Sweden, but the harsh Scandinavian winter may prevent Themis from taking flight this year. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 30 Oct. 2026

The film mixes archive footage from the 1980s, staged reconstructions and contemporary footage from rehearsals featuring young people for whom drag is more a form of self-expression than for the pioneers. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing rehearsal

• dress rehearsal
• in rehearsal
• pre-rehearsal
• rehearsal dinner
• wedding rehearsal

Rhymes for rehearsal

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

Kids Definition

rehearsal

noun

re·​hears·​al ri-ˈhər-səl 

1

: a private performance or practice session in preparation for a public appearance

2

: a practice exercise : trial

Medical Definition

rehearsal

noun

re·​hears·​al ri-ˈhər-səl 

1

: a method for improving memory by mentally or verbally repeating over and over the information to be remembered

2

: the repeated mental review of a desired action or behavioral response

preoperative rehearsal of coping imagery to reduce anxiety