dress rehearsal

noun

Definition of dress rehearsal

1 : a full rehearsal (as of a play) in costume and with stage properties shortly before the first performance

2 : a practice exercise for something to come : dry run

Examples of dress rehearsal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One final dress rehearsal for the Ball before the big night! — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "Here's All The Info You Need To Watch The New Year's Eve Ball Drop From Home," 31 Dec. 2018 All this … this pomp and circumstance is just a dress rehearsal for things to come, which starts with a commitment to a lifetime of education that should not be limited to just the books assigned or the lectures in the classroom. — Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, "He failed high school chemistry and algebra. Now a doctor, he went to his alma mater to tell graduating seniors about success.," 18 June 2018 Individual investors need to view the recent correction as a dress rehearsal of sorts for a potentially bigger market swoon, such as a bear market drop of 20% or more. — Adam Shell, USA TODAY, "What investors can learn from the stock market 'correction'," 20 Feb. 2018 Last week, controllers loaded super-cold liquid-oxygen propellant into the Delta 2's first stage on its launchpad at Vandenberg during a practice countdown, known as a wet dress rehearsal, Spaceflight Now reports. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Rocket Report: Vega soars, Delta 2 end nears, hearing a Falcon Heavy launch," 24 Aug. 2018 Tickets are also available for $5 for the dress rehearsal at 6:30 tonight. — Laura Groch, sandiegouniontribune.com, "North County School News, May 31," 31 May 2018 Mikhail Baryshnikov and Nureyev rehearsed separately and chose not to meet on stage until the dress rehearsal, Hochoy said. — Domenica Bongiovanni, Indianapolis Star, "Why the lead dancer in 'Appalachian Spring' must be a 'strong and complex woman'," 30 May 2018 Goal of the weekend Neymar had another dazzling performance in his second dress rehearsal before the World Cup in Russia. — Juan Pimiento, chicagotribune.com, "Teams arrive in Russia, Vieira leaves NYCFC and the best of the soccer weekend," 10 June 2018 The dress rehearsal for big shutdowns will start next April, when the Canarsie Tube will be closed for fifteen months, as the M.T.A. finishes repairing the damage inflicted by Superstorm Sandy. — William Finnegan, The New Yorker, "Can Andy Byford Save the Subways?," 2 July 2018

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