rehearsal

noun

re·​hears·​al ri-ˈhər-səl 

1

: something recounted or told again : recital

2

a

: a private performance or practice session preparatory to a public appearance

b

: a practice exercise : trial

Synonyms of rehearsal

• practice
• trial
• preview

Examples of rehearsal in a Sentence

She was 15 minutes late to rehearsal.

There are only three more rehearsals before the concert.

Recent Examples on the Web

There were maybe 200,000 people at the rehearsal and everybody did their thing. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2026

This may require some rehearsals, but surely the bragging rights of having been bouncers will compensate them for doing this duty. — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 23 June 2026

One of the two qawwals — singers in the Sufi devotional tradition of qawwali — on the record, Zaki Sahib, died suddenly after a rehearsal in India during the preparation of new material. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 June 2026

For the musicians, the weekly rehearsals are part practice and part community. — Nick Lunemann, CBS News, 22 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing rehearsal

• dress rehearsal
• in rehearsal
• pre-rehearsal
• rehearsal dinner
• wedding rehearsal

Rhymes for rehearsal

• dispersal
• reversal
• transversal
• traversal
• bursal
• versal
• universal

Kids Definition

rehearsal

noun

re·​hears·​al ri-ˈhər-səl 

1

: a private performance or practice session in preparation for a public appearance

2

: a practice exercise : trial

Medical Definition

rehearsal

noun

re·​hears·​al ri-ˈhər-səl 

1

: a method for improving memory by mentally or verbally repeating over and over the information to be remembered

2

: the repeated mental review of a desired action or behavioral response

preoperative rehearsal of coping imagery to reduce anxiety