reprise

noun re·prise \ ri-ˈprēz , sense 1 is also ri-ˈprīz \

|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

Examples: reprise in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of reprise

1 : a deduction or charge made yearly out of a manor or estate —usually used in plural

2 : a recurrence, renewal, or resumption of an action

[French, from Middle French]

a : a musical repetition:

(1) : the repetition of the exposition preceding the development

(2) : recapitulation 3

b : a repeated performance : repetition

See reprise defined for English-language learners

reprise was our Word of the Day on 10/07/2015. Hear the podcast!

Examples of reprise in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of reprise from the Web

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
Jay-Z and Beyonce: A reprise of the 2014 stadium tour by music’s power couple that raked in $109 million.

— greg kot, chicagotribune.com, "10 summer concerts Greg Kot thinks you should see," 31 May 2018
But Lopez knows what makes great drama, and her musical reprise means that talent has been back in action hardcore.

— rachel nussbaum, Glamour, "Jennifer Lopez Wore a Real $100 Bill on Her Nails to the 2018 Billboard Music Awards," 21 May 2018
The Theatre Horizon production of Starcatcher is a charming reprise of the verbal, take-no-prisoners comedy of Monty Python.

— hugh hunter, Philly.com, "'Peter and the Starcatcher' at Theatre Horizon: Unbridled, unpredictable, riotously funny," 4 May 2018
But Weaving was apparently not interested in a reprise.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "Avengers: Infinity War—A Guide to all the Cameos and Surprising Bit Parts," 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.

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 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.

Origin and Etymology of reprise

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

reprise Synonyms

Synonyms

duplication, iteration, redo, reduplication, reiteration, renewal, repeat, repetition, replay, replication;

Related Words

rebroadcast, rerun;

recitation, rehearsal;

reprise

verb re·prise \ ri-ˈprīz , sense 3 is ri-ˈprēz \

Definition of reprise

reprised; reprising

transitive verb

1 archaic : take back; especially : to recover by force

2 archaic : compensate

3 a : to repeat the performance of

b : to repeat the principal points or stages of : recapitulate

See reprise defined for English-language learners

Examples of reprise in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of reprise from the Web

Rudd reprises his role as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, while Lilly plays Hope van Dyne/Wasp (her transformation into a superhero was hinted at in the first film).

— pamela mcclintock, Billboard, "Box Office: 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' Soaring to $80M-Plus U.S. Debut," 7 July 2018
Galecki reprises his role as David, the sad-sack father of Darlene’s children.

— hal boedeker, OrlandoSentinel.com, "'Roseanne' reunions, 'Scandal' finale, James Comey Week," 15 Apr. 2018
In the film, Chadwick Boseman reprises his Captain America: Civil War role as T'Challa, or Black Panther, who comes back to his home kingdom to rule after his father's death.

— Vogue, "Everyone Is Really, Really Excited About Black Panther," 30 Jan. 2018
Chris Pratt reprises his role as the fearless Owen Grady, this time trying to save the dinosaurs from a volcano and trophy hunters.

— Fortune, "'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' Continues Stomping on Its Box Office Competition," 1 July 2018
Jeff Goldblum reprises his role as Dr. Ian Malcolm for a surprising number of scenes, mostly to smugly remind you what a terrible idea everything is.

— steven strom, Ars Technica, "Jurassic World Evolution," 19 June 2018
Maggie McDowell, who like Rudetsky was in disaster's original off-Broadway and Broadway casts, reprises her role of Sister Mary, a nun with addiction issues.

— christopher arnott, courant.com, "'Disaster!' Skewers The 1970s At CT Rep," 11 June 2018
Ulliel reprises his role as the independent man who answers only to himself, but this time, he’s matured, and leaves parties to be alone and meditate (wellness!).

— shannon barbour, The Cut, "Chanel’s Newest Fragrance Is for Men Who Meditate," 31 May 2018
Marvel’s Luke Cage Season 2 (6/22) Mike Colter reprises his role as Harlem’s bulletproof defender in Season 2 of Marvel’s Luke Cage.

— richard lawson, HWD, "What’s New on Netflix in June," 24 May 2018