Add This Word History to Your Repertoire

The Late Latin noun repertorium, meaning "list," has given us two words that can be used to speak of the broad range of things that someone or something can do. One is repertory, perhaps most commonly known as a word for a company that presents several different plays, operas, or other works at one theater, or the theater where such works are performed. Repertoire, which comes from repertorium via French, once meant the same thing as repertory but later came to refer to the range of skills that a person has, such as the different pitches a baseball pitcher can throw or the particular dishes that are a chef's specialty.

Examples of repertoire in a Sentence

In later years, he sang in English and expanded his repertoire to include rhythm and blues, rock and even skiffle music. — John Swenson, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 1993 Jackson is best known for a career that included radio and television concerts and a repertoire that leaned heavily upon songs such as "Amazing Grace" and "The Day is Past and Gone." — Leslie Williams, (New Orleans) Times-Picayune, 12 May 1993 Like resident stock companies, they presented a number of plays in repertoire; the genre of the programs tended to vary, although there seemed to be a preference for popular melodramas … — George Mann, Theatre Lethbridge, 1993 Grenadine … is bright red in color and has a sweet, fresh flavor. It is completely non-alcoholic, but plays an essential part in any good barman's repertoire. — The Encyclopedia of Herbs, Spices, & Flavorings, 1992 The fiery orators taking their turn at the microphone wore work shirts and overalls. The college choir sang a repertoire of early Joan Baez. — John Krich, Music in Every Room, 1984 The band's repertoire includes both classic and modern jazz. He has a limited repertoire when it comes to cooking. See More

Recent Examples on the Web The duo’s repertoire includes dance hits, oldies, top 40 and country music. — Bob Sandrick, cleveland, 21 June 2022 The wide repertoire helps Alcantara last longer in games than most power pitchers, which is a point of pride. — New York Times, 17 June 2022 While Price posthumously carves out her place in the repertoire, Wagner, an ideologue who wrote unsparingly about his own antisemitism, has remained a fraught cornerstone. — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2022 Keep in mind that both sides of the AI activism arena can opt to use the varied repertoire of contention modes. — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 4 June 2022 Since 1922, this journey has been made by countless music lovers, mostly fans of the classical repertoire in the early decades. — Randall Roberts, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2022 Wood showed off the full repertoire, exhibiting the skills that had many so hopeful about a pairing with James Harden when he was initially signed. — Rahat Huq, Chron, 25 Mar. 2022 Considered a monumental work in the symphonic repertoire, Mahler’s Ninth Symphony typically spans 90 minutes and covers a huge range of emotions. — oregonlive, 22 Mar. 2022 Test said the repertoire in the program appeals to diverse tastes in dance. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2022 See More

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