again

adverb

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\ 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

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 Harden returned after missing two games with right hamstring tightness but lasted just four minutes before having to leave again with the same injury. — Brian Mahoney, ajc, "Irving scores 40, Nets lose Harden but beat Knicks 114-112," 6 Apr. 2021 Noem has promised to call a special legislative session to have lawmakers take up the issue again. — Andrew Demillo, Anchorage Daily News, "Arkansas governor vetoes bill banning medical treatments for transgender youths," 6 Apr. 2021 Then again, the Timberwolves stunned the Suns this season in Phoenix. — Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, "Suns focused on lowly Rockets before big-time back-to-back vs. Jazz, Clippers," 5 Apr. 2021 The number of coronavirus cases is rising again as vaccinations continue to ramp up throughout the United States. — Elinor Aspegren, USA TODAY, "Infections rise as vaccinations increase across US; 12 states to allow all adults to get vaccines Monday: Latest COVID-19 updates," 5 Apr. 2021 When Kate spoke again, her voice was her teacher voice. — Clare Sestanovich, The New Yorker, "Separation," 5 Apr. 2021 Republican Mike Garcia, a former fighter pilot, won the seat in a special election after Hill resigned and then again in the 2020 general election. — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, "Rep. Mike Garcia faces another Democratic challenger — Simi Valley Council Member Ruth Luevanos," 5 Apr. 2021 Olmsted Falls Boy Scout Troop 201 again will have its annual flower sale. — cleveland, "Snowy April 1 weather fools some; others just deal with it: Olmsted Dates and Data," 5 Apr. 2021 Sachs played it during the assailant’s first parole hearing in 2005, and again a few times later, until the assailant was paroled in 2017. — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, "The man who remembers San Diego’s long ago victims — and their killers," 5 Apr. 2021

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.