Definition of REPRISE

Did You Know?

Noun

When "reprise" was first adopted into English in the 15th century, it referred to a deduction or charge made yearly out of a manor or estate (and was usually used in the plural form "reprises"). It probably won't surprise you, then, to learn that "reprise" comes from an Anglo-French word meaning "seizure, repossession, or expense." Eventually, "reprise" came to refer to any action that was repeated or resumed. A later sense, borrowed from modern French, applies to specific types of repetition in musical compositions and was eventually generalized to describe any subsequent and identical performance. It's possible, for example, to have a reprise of a television program or a book.

Examples of reprise in a Sentence

Noun

They ended their performance with a reprise of the opening number. The team is hoping to avoid a reprise of last year's defeat.

Verb

He will reprise his role in the play. the prosecutor's closing statement effectively reprised the case against the defendant

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Wooster Group veterans, including Valk, Ari Fliakos, Jim Fletcher and Suzzy Roche, reprise in ghostly fashion the performances of Kantor's flexibly precise actors. — Charles Mcnulty, latimes.com, "With 'A Pink Chair,' Wooster Group conjures from spirits from theater's past," 7 Apr. 2018 That excursion brought the Philharmonic to the Ravinia Festival, which on Thursday night launched its symphonic celebration of this year’s Bernstein centennial with a reprise of that historic program with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, "CSO at Ravinia review: Marin Alsop poetically launches Bernstein tribute," 13 July 2018 Kwon Sang-woo and Sung Dong-il reprise their roles as Dae-man and Tae-su, skilled criminal investigators with clashing personalities. — Noel Murray, latimes.com, "Korean comedy 'The Accidental Detective 2: In Action' is a smooth, if unmemorable, ride," 20 June 2018 In the coming weeks, audiences will get a chance to see Goldblum reprise his role as Dr. Ian Malcolm in the latest installment of the Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. — Richard Smirke, Billboard, "Jeff Goldblum Signs With Universal's Decca Records," 29 May 2018 While his character in The Handmaid’s Tale is no reprise of Get Out’s Dean Armitage, the two men convey similar moods. — refinery29.com, "Meet Commander Lawrence, The Most Destabilizing Presence On The Handmaid's Tale," 10 July 2018 Lyrically, West has set the bar low enough that certain omissions -- like a reprise of his longstanding, distasteful feud with Taylor Swift or a restating of his belief in Bill Cosby’s innocence -- provide relief. — Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, "Kanye West's 'Ye' Is a Missed Opportunity for Redemption," 4 June 2018 The Trojans reprise Oregon's winning formula from the 2017 NCAA Championships. — Ken Goe, OregonLive.com, "Some big names in action today in the Portland Track Festival: Oregon track & field rundown," 10 June 2018 There’s a new legal challenge raising the possibility — albeit a slight one — that the Supreme Court could hear a reprise of the first major Affordable Care Act lawsuit from six years ago. — Washington Post, "The Health 202: Three reasons Obamacare might not get another big SCOTUS moment," 12 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Josh Brolin returns as federal agent Matt Graver, who calls on assassin for hire Alejandro Gillick, a role reprised by Benicio del Toro, whose family was murdered by a local drug lord. — Fortune, "'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' Continues Stomping on Its Box Office Competition," 1 July 2018 One person in particular is Mark Hamill, who reprised his role as Luke Skywalker for the film. — Lauren Chval, RedEye Chicago, "5 buzzworthy topics people will be talking about," 5 Jan. 2018 Harry’s royal nephew and niece will reprise their roles from their aunt Pippa Middleton’s wedding last May. Several of Harry and Meghan’s godchildren and children of their friends will also serve in the bridal party. — Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Just Announced All 10 Members of Their Adorable Bridal Party!," 16 May 2018 Sasha Pieterse and Janel Parrish are reprising their roles of Alison and Mona for the show, which means the same campy, shady goodness that made Rosewood so intriguing is coming to Beacon Heights. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "The 'Pretty Little Liars' Spin-Off Is All Over Instagram, and I Can't Wait," 28 Mar. 2018 Neither of the twins was contacted by producers to reprise their role. — Diane Bell, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Tom Cruise movie sequel takes off without San Diego's "Top Gun" twins.," 6 July 2018 After four down years, the Braves are back and ready to reprise their role of perpetual Mets tormentor, a position Atlanta held during the late 1990s and early 2000s. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, "‘Nobody’s Happy’ After the Mets Waste Another Great Jacob deGrom Start," 13 June 2018 Quimby is cast as Al Lewis, the other half of a once-popular comedy team, Lewis and Clark, who parted company on unfriendly terms, but are now asked to reprise a famous sketch for a network TV special. — Houston Chronicle, "Veteran South Houston actor in bucket-list role in ‘Sunshine Boys’," 1 May 2018 And in addition to The Woman in the Window, she is scheduled to reprise her role as the singing, dancing Giselle in the Disney sequel to Enchanted, Disenchanted, next year. — Nicole Sperling, HWD, "Amy Adams’s Dark New Project Could Be the Next Gone Girl," 27 Apr. 2018

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

History and Etymology for reprise

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, seizure, repossession, expense, from feminine past participle of reprendre to take back, from re- + prendre to take, from Latin prehendere

Verb

Middle English, from Middle French repris, past participle of reprendre

Learn More about reprise