again

adverb

\ ə-ˈgen,

-ˈgin, -ˈgān\

Definition of again

1 : in return : back … swore he would pay him again when he was able.— William Shakespeare

2a : 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 & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about again

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Synonyms & Antonyms for again

Synonyms

afresh, anew, de novo, over

Antonyms

nevermore

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

The two were once again courtside in Miami yesterday, looking more coordinated than ever. — Rachel Hahn, Vogue, "Gucci Mane and Keyshia Ka’oir Continue Their Courtside Hot Streak," 11 Jan. 2019 Suddenly the old gun system, once the outlier of a ship’s armament package, is near the center again. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The U.S. Navy Quietly Tested Mach 3 Heavy Gun Shells That Could Revolutionize Surface Warfare," 8 Jan. 2019 Kylie Jenner is, once again, helping to generate engagement rumors by wearing a huge diamond ring on her left hand. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kylie Jenner Rocks a Giant Diamond Ring on Her Left Hand, While Baring Her Midriff," 6 Jan. 2019 National parks — which are funded as part of the Interior Department — have long been one of the most visible government entities affected by a shutdown and that could happen again this time around. — Li Zhou, Vox, "What’s open — and closed — during a partial government shutdown," 21 Dec. 2018 This new Susan comes with a backstop that lifts and locks too, so no item will ever fall over again into unreachable corners. — Collier Sutter, House Beautiful, "The $13 Gadget That Will Transform Your Cabinets," 1 Nov. 2018 Photo: jonathan ernst/Reuters U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered the Manafort defense team to lay out any objections to the government’s allegations by early January and said the parties would meet again early next year. — Shelby Holliday, WSJ, "Flynn’s Lawyers Argue He Should Be Spared Jail Time," 11 Dec. 2018 Southern Living points out that vintage ceramic Christmas trees are all the rage again, being sold everywhere from retailers like Amazon to Walmart. — Jessica Leigh Mattern, Country Living, "Vintage Ceramic Christmas Trees Are Making a Comeback," 7 Dec. 2018 Despite attending school on opposite sides of the country, the two students hope to meet again someday. — De Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Childhood "Best Friends" Reunite on Social Media After a Viral Tweet," 25 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'again.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for again

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.