reprise

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

|Updated on: 15 Aug 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

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
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

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

The couple also reprised their roles for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which premiered 14 years later in 2016.

— eileen reslen, Good Housekeeping, "'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' Star Nia Vardalos Files for Divorce From Husband of 25 Years," 5 July 2018
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