Definition of REPRISED

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

We should be worried about a dangerous, potentially crisis-inducing reprise in 2020. — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "The Republican Party versus democracy," 17 Dec. 2018 But the early-voting data is far from decisive for Democrats, who fear a reprise of 2016, when early-voting totals seemed to all but ensure victory for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. — Andrew Duehren, WSJ, "Early Voting Surges as Midterms Approach," 2 Nov. 2018 And could Kingpin be making a reprise as Matt's arch nemesis? — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Matt Murdock is back and darker than ever in new trailer for Daredevil season 3," 21 Sep. 2018 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

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Social media previously speculated heavily on who might take the role, with some hoping that Jordan Burtchett might reprise his role from the first film. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, ""To All the Boys I've Loved Before" Sequel Casts Jordan Fisher as John Ambrose McClaren," 28 Mar. 2019 Rumors had been floating around that Close might reprise her part in a feature film, but nothing seemed tied down—until last week's announcement that the production had found a director. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Glenn Close's Sunset Boulevard Remake Is Moving Forward with a Newly Announced Director," 4 Mar. 2019 Although producers announced in August that Kaitlyn would only be reprising her role on a recurring—not regular—basis, fans still missed her strong-willed character amongst the group. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "Here's When Eve Will Finally Be Back on 'Last Man Standing'," 14 Dec. 2018 SlashFilm reports that co-star Aaron Paul will reprise his role as Jesse Pinkman in a story set after the series’ conclusion. — Megan Farokhmanesh, The Verge, "Vince Gilligan is writing a Breaking Bad sequel film starring Aaron Paul," 7 Nov. 2018 Star Candice Bergen will reprise her role as the titular character, CBS confirmed. — Jamie Ballard, Good Housekeeping, ""Murphy Brown" Reboot: Everything We Know So Far," 17 May 2018 Now, a full 70 years later, Grace's grandniece Ginna Le Vine is reprising her leading role in the production. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Grace Kelly's Grandniece Is Reprising the Princess's First Professional Acting Role," 6 Mar. 2019 Tim is reprising his role in the fourth installment, set for release this year. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "'Last Man Standing' Just Referenced One of Tim Allen's Most Iconic Roles," 4 Jan. 2019 As far as the rest of the clan, Maggie Smith, Laura Carmichael, Joanne Froggatt, Hugh Bonneville, and Elizabeth McGovern are all reprising their roles, but no Lily James as Lady Rose. — Vogue, "The Downton Abbey Movie Is Officially Filming," 11 Sep. 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

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