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

Both actors will reprise their former roles in the pilot, with Kim acting as Detective Diane Russell and Bill as Police Administration Aid John Irvin. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "'NYPD Blue' Casts Two of the Show's Original Actors for the Reboot," 9 Jan. 2019 The cast: The show's leads, Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, will reprise their roles as Eve Polastri and Villanelle, respectively. — Jennifer Lance, Glamour, "Killing Eve Season 2: Here's Everything We Know So Far," 3 Jan. 2019 Next year, Eckstein will reprise her role when The Clone Wars returns on Disney’s upcoming streaming service, Disney+. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "What’s in your bag, Ashley Eckstein?," 14 Dec. 2018 Emily Blunt will reprise Julie Andrews's iconic role as the charming nanny. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Dick Van Dyke Paid Walt Disney $4K for a Part in the Original 'Mary Poppins'," 26 Nov. 2018 On Wednesday, Billy Dee Williams, who played Lando Calrissian in the original trilogy and will reprise the role in the next Star Wars movie, tweeted a photo of himself and Hamill meeting Princess Margaret. — Megan Friedman, Town & Country, "Mark Hamill Wishes He Made Eye Contact When He Met Princess Margaret," 19 Sep. 2018 Though there hasn't been photo evidence, per IMDB, Sarah will also reprise her Murder House character Billie Dean Howard, as well as take on a new character named Venable. — Claire Dodson, Teen Vogue, "Classic "American Horror Story" Characters Are Coming Back for "Apocalypse"," 31 Aug. 2018 Lange, who has been missing from American Horror Story since season 4, will reprise her Murder House role as Constance Langdon, as the new series acts as a crossover between Murder House and Coven. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Sarah Paulson Just Made Her 'American Horror Story' Directing Debut," 31 Aug. 2018 No matter what happens between Hyde and Chubb, Johnson will reprise his role as one of the best pass-catching backs in the league. — Michael Beller, SI.com, "Fantasy Football Players Who are More Valuable in PPR Leagues," 12 July 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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