again

adverb

ə-ˈgen 

-ˈgin,

-ˈgān

1

: in return : back

… swore he would pay him again when he was able.

—William Shakespeare

2

a

: another time : once more : anew

I shall not look upon his like again.

—William Shakespeare

b

—used to introduce a statement that repeats and stresses something previously said

Again, I ask, why are you doing this?

c

—used to ask someone to repeat something that was not heard or understood clearly

I'm sorry, what was your name again?

3

: on the other hand

He might go, and again he might not.

4

: in addition : besides

Again, there is another matter to consider.

Synonyms

• afresh
• anew
• de novo
• over

Examples of again in a Sentence

Please, come see us again.

It was nice to see my friends again.

She wants to prove that she can do it again.

Things are back to normal again.

When we heard the news, we all said, “Oh no! Not again!”.

She demonstrated yet again her remarkable artistic talents.

It'll just be the same thing all over again.

When he stood up, he got so dizzy that he had to sit down again.

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Recent Examples on the Web

Taylor Swift comes out on top once again, this time taking honors as iHeartRadio’s most popular artist of the year. —Lars Brandle, Billboard, 1 Dec. 2023

Some experts also suggest masking again in some situations to help reduce your risk not only for COVID but other respiratory illnesses. —Meg Oliver, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2023

Another wave of rain will affect the Gulf Coast states again on Saturday. —Kathryn Prociv, NBC News, 1 Dec. 2023

Women in Film returned for its annual WIF Honors on Thursday night, once again recognizing the women working on the frontlines to change the entertainment industry for the better. —Kirsten Chuba, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Dec. 2023

Earlier this fall, and again this week, reports circulated that BMW had trademarked the name iM3 with the E.U.’s intellectual property office. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 30 Nov. 2023

Share this story Sam Altman is officially OpenAI’s CEO again. —Alex Heath, The Verge, 30 Nov. 2023

And in 2021, the shredded remains of that painting were auctioned again, going for a whopping $25.4 million. —Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2023

Sure, there’s plenty to say about Gerry Turner, 72, a restaurateur from Indiana who — having lost his wife Toni in 2017 — is on a journey to find love again. —Dianna Mazzone, Allure, 21 Nov. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English ayen, ayein, ayan, ageyn, again "back, in the opposite direction, to a former state, once more, another time," going back to Old English ongeagn, ongeæn, ongēan, ongān, ongegn, ongēn, agēn (Northumbrian ongægn, ongǣn), (compare parallel compounds in Old Saxon angegin "once more, toward," Old High German ingagan, ingegin "in opposition") from on-, a- on entry 1, a- entry 1 + -geagn (going back to Germanic *gagna-, whence Old High German gagan "towards, against," Old Norse gagn- "against, counter, through") or -gegn (going back to Germanic *gagni-, whence Old Saxon & Old High German gegin "against," Old Frisian jēn, Old Norse gegn)

Note: It has been assumed that certain Old English forms, such as ongeagn, reflected an original *gagna-, and others, such as ongegn, an original *gegni-, though the evidence for the latter in Old English is not entirely clear. The rare instances of ongegn could represent "palatal monophthongization" of ongeagn, while ongēn would be a contraction of ongegn—this would leave only reflexes of *gagna- in Old English. Old English ongān (continued in Middle English ayan) apparently represents a monophthongization of ongēan after the crest of the diphthong had shifted forward. Middle English ayen, the most common southern form well into the 14th century, may be the outcome of either ongēan or ongēn. The form ayein would appear to directly continue ongegn. Originally northern again is presumed to have the velar /g/ from Old Norse i gegn. The shortened vowel in the usual pronunciation of again is probably due to against, where it was conditioned by the final consonant cluster. The origin of Germanic *gagna-, *gegni- (Gothic correspondent lacking) is obscure.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing again

• born-again
• again and again
• every now and again
• half again as much/many as
• half again as
• never again
• how's that (again)
• half as much/many again as
• time and again
• yet again
• rise again
• same again
• over and over again
• on-again, off-again
• you can say that again
• once again/more
• think again
• come again

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• born-again
• again and again
• every now and again
• half again as much/many as
• half again as
• never again
• how's that (again)
• half as much/many again as
• time and again
• yet again
• rise again
• same again
• over and over again
• on-again, off-again
• you can say that again
• once again/more
• think again
• come again

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Kids Definition

again

adverb

ə-ˈgen 

-ˈgin,

-ˈgān

1

: in return

send the message and bring us word again

2

: another time : anew

come see us again

3

: in addition

half as much again

4

: on the other hand

I may, and again I may not

5

: moreover, further

again, there is another matter to consider

Etymology

Old English ongēan "opposite, back"