reprise

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

|Updated on: 20 Jun 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

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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

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
Later, Angel is consumed by the plague and Collins' repeats the tune, a reprise that's almost unbearably poignant.

— andrea simakis, cleveland.com, "'Rent' 20th anniversary tour lacks the heat and heart of Jonathan Larson's groundbreaking epic (review)," 9 Mar. 2018
Beast from the East’ dampening activity in the U.K. and a reprise of residual seasonality -- a statistical quirk -- weighing on U.S. output.

— simon kennedy, Bloomberg.com, "Global Economy Perks Up With Goldman, JPMorgan Predicting Rebound," 2 May 2018
Co-directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott helm this reprise, an audience favorite that features many of the original cast from the company’s 2009 production.

— f. kathleen foley, latimes.com, "The 99-Seat Beat: 'ICE," 'Noises Off,' 'Bad Jews' and more," 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