rehearse

verb

re·​hearse ri-ˈhərs How to pronounce rehearse (audio)
rehearsed; rehearsing

transitive verb

1
a
: to say again : repeat
b
: to recite aloud in a formal manner
2
: to present an account of : relate
rehearse a familiar story
3
: to recount in order : enumerate
rehearsed their demands
4
a
: to give a rehearsal of
b
: to train or make proficient by rehearsal
5
: to perform or practice as if in a rehearsal

intransitive verb

: to engage in a rehearsal
rehearser noun

Examples of rehearse in a Sentence

The orchestra is rehearsing a piece by Schumann. The band stayed up late rehearsing for the big show. We were allowed to watch the director rehearse the dancers. lawyers rehearsing their closing arguments He rehearsed his dance moves in front of the mirror.
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.
Depending on everyone's individual schedules, the stars and their partners will either start getting ready in the hair and makeup trailer or practice rehearsing in the ballroom. Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025 When she’s thrown into a classroom of kids rehearsing a Disneyfied version of Chekhov’s THREE SISTERS — her favorite play about existential longing – she swan dives into her own crisis of aging, nostalgia, and the loss of childhood dreams. Zac Ntim, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025 The cast and crew would arrive late morning and spend six to seven hours rehearsing all the vehicle movements, stunts, gas burns, and actor staging (including the child actors on the school bus with Matthew McConaughey and American Ferrera). Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2025 Meanwhile, remote handling upgrades, including a virtual reality system (Remote Handling Operations Virtual Reality – RHOVR) built with Unreal Engine, are helping engineers train operators and rehearse complex tasks. Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rehearse

Word History

Etymology

Middle English rehersen, from Anglo-French rehercer, from re- + hercer to harrow, from herce harrow — more at hearse

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of rehearse was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rehearse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rehearse. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

rehearse

verb
re·​hearse ri-ˈhərs How to pronounce rehearse (audio)
rehearsed; rehearsing
1
a
: to say again : repeat
b
: to recount in order : enumerate
they rehearsed their complaints in a letter
2
a
: to practice (a play or scene) for public performance
b
: to train or instruct (as actors) by rehearsal
3
: to engage in a rehearsal
rehearser noun
Etymology

Middle English rehersen "to say again, repeat," from early French rehercier "to go over again and again," literally, "to harrow again," from re- "again" and hercier "to harrow," from herce "a harrow"

Word Origin
In the Middle Ages, French farmers used a tool they called a herce. This was a triangular wooden frame with sturdy pegs or teeth on one side. It was pulled over plowed farmland to break up the soil in order to make it smooth for planting. The early French verb used to describe this action was hercier, which meant "to harrow." In most cases the process had to be repeated over and over, so the word rehercier was formed, meaning "to harrow again" or "reharrow." In time, rehercier came to be used with more general meanings like "to go over something again (and again)," as in repeating a school lesson or a story. The word came into Middle English as rehersen, meaning "to say again, repeat." Through the years the English word, now spelled rehearse, has picked up new meanings. Perhaps the most familiar one now is "to go through (a scene or play) over and over for practice until it is ready for performance."

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