Did you know?
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. That sense 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
James Mercadante, EW.com, 30 Mar. 2025
The Black Jeopardy sketch, a reprise from many years ago, featured Kenan Thompson once again playing host Darnell Hayes.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2025
Sharareh Drury, People.com, 1 May 2025
Comments Chad Michael Murray reprises his role from Freaky Friday in the new sequel.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for reprise
Cite this Entry
“Reprise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reprise. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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