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

During the routine, the young kids — dressed in colorful, traditional garments with smiles plastered across their faces — hit their marks after months of rehearsal. —Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 25 Apr. 2026

There, the patriarch, Joseph (Colman Domingo), presses the child Michael (played with admirable musical and dramatic flair by Juliano Valdi) and four of Michael’s older brothers into rehearsal. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026

At five o’clock Michael returns from a day of rehearsal, flanked by a personal bodyguard and his CBS Records chaperone and appointment-maker, Steve Manning. —Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2026

When most other students at Carroll Senior High School were heading home for the day, about two dozen young musicians filed into a rehearsal room and quickly got to work. —Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 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

• demersal
• 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