dress rehearsal

noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Three trillion Interstellar Song Contest viewers are still watching the dress rehearsal, unaware that Kid wants to kill all of them next by transmitting a delta wave onto their screens. Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 17 May 2025 The Mirror System Catalyst: Social Media and AI Ethics If AI represents the future of synthetic reflection, social media was its dress rehearsal. Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025 Guess who steps in and knocks ’em dead at the dress rehearsal? Greg Evans, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025 Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Ipswich Town felt more like the dress rehearsal for PSG than the 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace, with more regulars starting at Portman Road. Art De Roché, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dress rehearsal

Word History

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dress rehearsal was in 1828

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Cite this Entry

“Dress rehearsal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dress%20rehearsal. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

dress rehearsal

noun
: a rehearsal of a play in costume and with stage properties shortly before the first performance

More from Merriam-Webster on dress rehearsal

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