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

Get our daily newsletter Now many have gone negative once again. — The Economist, "As yields turn negative, investors are having to pay for safety," 8 Aug. 2019 The next summer, Road Runner was my counselor again. — Katy Hershberger, Longreads, "Losing My Religion at Christian Camp," 8 Aug. 2019 The nation’s epidemic of gun violence is back in the spotlight once again, after a weekend that saw mass shootings in El Paso, Dayton, and Chicago. — Wired, "The CDC Could Totally Study Gun Violence—It Just Needs Money," 7 Aug. 2019 All these controversies have led, every now and again, to his legacies being questioned and debated. — Akwasi Kwarteng Amoako-gyampah, Quartz Africa, "The “tragic error” that led to Kwame Nkrumah becoming one of Africa’s great independence leaders," 7 Aug. 2019 With an approach of this nature, incidents like Pulwama are bound to happen again. — Fox News, "Pakistan's PM warns of suicide attacks, war after India ends disputed Kashmir's special status," 6 Aug. 2019 After just a few swipes, the dirt and oil were once again visibly lifted from my pores, and my face felt super smooth, just like last time. — Jenna Wirth, Health.com, "I Used A Pore Vacuum To Suction Out My Blackheads—and It Actually Worked," 2 Aug. 2019 That knowledge, in most every case, comes from seeing the 1939 movie starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and Bert Lahr as a youngster, and then again, perhaps several times, as an adult. — cleveland.com, "Mercury’s ‘Wizard of Oz’ allows audiences to choose actors for parts; on stage in South Euclid Aug. 2-18," 26 July 2019 So, once again, those looking for a feud between these two royals should direct their focus elsewhere. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle Reportedly "Text Regularly"," 25 July 2019

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.