repetition

noun

rep·​e·​ti·​tion ˌre-pə-ˈti-shən 

1

a

: the act or an instance of repeating or being repeated

b

: a motion or exercise (such as a push-up) that is repeated and usually counted

2

: mention, recital

repetitional

ˌre-pə-ˈti-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Synonyms of repetition

• repeat
• replay

Examples of repetition in a Sentence

Sometimes repetition is necessary to drive a point home.

Children's songs involve lots of repetition.

I quit my job at the factory because I hated the mindless repetition.

Recent Examples on the Web

Modernist rhythms establish the tempo for each work, often involving rows of repetition, such as the pattern for a baby’s bonnet. —Erin Parish, Miami Herald, 5 Dec. 2025

The sense of repetition enhanced and deepened the play’s revival, co-directed by McCraney and Bijan Sheibani at the Shed, with McCraney’s longtime friend and collaborator André Holland as the elder brother, Ogun. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2025

Multi-step tasks and new information may require extra attention or repetition. —Team Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 1 Dec. 2025

Siesbye decided to choose four different shapes and build variations around them, all in black and charcoal glaze, as a way of drawing attention to the repetition. —Ayşegül Savaş, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English repeticion, from Middle French, from Latin repetition-, repetitio, from repetere to repeat

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing repetition

• incremental repetition

Rhymes for repetition

• abolition
• acquisition
• admonition
• ammunition
• apparition
• apposition
• coalition
• competition
• composition
• definition
• deglutition
• demolition

Kids Definition

repetition

noun

rep·​e·​ti·​tion ˌrep-ə-ˈtish-ən 

1

a

: the act or an instance of repeating

b

: a motion or exercise (as a push-up) that is repeated and usually counted

2

: something repeated