rehearse

verb re·hearse \ ri-ˈhərs \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Examples: rehearse in a Sentence

Definition of rehearse

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

See rehearse defined for English-language learners

See rehearse defined for kids

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 of rehearse from the Web

Scenes were mounted with a bare minimum of rehearsal, whereas he was used to rehearsing for weeks before a performance.

— Longreads, "When the Movies Went West," 15 May 2018
Union Community Theatre has an agreement to start rehearsing at the Ferguson Community Center at the Boone County Historic Courthouse located at 2988 Washington St., Burlington.

— chris mayhew, Cincinnati.com, "A comeback for Union: Theater group revived in Boone County," 11 Apr. 2018
The band got its start when Pfeifer, who was still in high school, Ron Wolfe and Ralph Wells were rehearsing in a second-floor violin repair shop owned by Wells' father in Whitewater.

— barry adams, chicagotribune.com, "Wisconsin garage band going strong after more than 50 years," 18 May 2018
Students in the band/orchestra at Power Middle School in Farmington Hills had spent months rehearsing, excited to perform the national anthem at the Toledo Mud Hens game Thursday.

— aleanna siacon, Detroit Free Press, "Toledo Mud Hens snub Farmington Hills students over national anthem," 18 May 2018
The children from the autism school of the Achievement Centers for Children, Westlake branch, have been rehearsing their roles for weeks in the beloved story.

— linda gandee/special to cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Autistic children prepare with the Beck Center for a curtain call," 30 Apr. 2018
The images include Otis Spann and James Cotton rehearsing in Muddy Waters's basement in 1965 as well as Little Walter and Junior Wells playing at Theresa's that year.

— dave newbart, Chicago Reader, "Music / History When the blues electrified the city: The streets and sounds of 1960s Chicago come alive in new exhibit," 17 Apr. 2018
On their own, many of the students had rehearsed lockdowns before, and knew to just huddle, as quietly as possible, and wait for safety.

— scott dance, baltimoresun.com, "Great Mills High School students recount shooting, lockdown: 'This was the real thing'," 20 Mar. 2018
The transition to a model of mutual compassion was not automatic; for a while, people rehearsed it.

— david van biema, Time, "The Way People Experience Emotion Evolves Over Time. Recognizing That Fact Has Changed Our Understanding of the Past," 19 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of rehearse

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1b

See Words from the same year

rehearse Synonyms

Synonyms

chart, chronicle, describe, narrate, recite, recount, relate, report, tell;

detail, enumerate, itemize, particularize;

bare, disclose, divulge, expose, let on (about), reveal;

delineate, depict, express, render, sketch;

Phrases

set forth;

REHEARSE Defined for English Language Learners

rehearse

verb

Definition of rehearse for English Language Learners

: to prepare for a public performance of a play, a piece of music, etc., by practicing the performance
: to direct (a group of people) as they prepare for a public performance
: to say or do (something) several times in order to practice

REHEARSE Defined for Kids

rehearse

verb re·hearse \ ri-ˈhərs \

Definition of rehearse for Students

rehearsed; rehearsing

: to practice in private in preparation for a public performance

We rehearsed our play.

History for rehearse

A device called a harrow is used to break up and smooth soil. Sometimes the first run with the harrow does not break up all the lumps of earth, and the farmer has to take the harrow over the ground more than once. The medieval French verb rehercer (from herce, “harrow”) meant “to go over again with a harrow.” English borrowed this verb as rehersen, later rehearse. When we rehearse something we are, so to speak, going over the same ground again and again.