retell

verb

re·​tell (ˌ)rē-ˈtel How to pronounce retell (audio)
retold (ˌ)rē-ˈtōld How to pronounce retell (audio) ; retelling

transitive verb

1
: to tell again or in another form
2
: to count again

Examples of retell in a Sentence

The movie retells the story of Romeo and Juliet.
Recent Examples on the Web For instance, after retelling their stories according to our prompts, people were more likely to perceive patterns in seemingly random strings of letters on a computer screen. Ben Rogers, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2023 While the franchise, now set to retell the core story as a TV show with a brand-new cast, continued on without him, Radcliffe’s early success gave him the freedom to pursue quirkier parts like a farting corpse or Weird Al Yankovic. Alison Herman, Variety, 15 Nov. 2023 Following a recent premiere at the SXSW Sydney Festival, Faraway Downs, which retells the movie’s epic story in six parts, debuts on Hulu next month. Vogue, 28 Oct. 2023 Burns, whose previous documentary work has retold the stories of the Civil War, baseball, country music, Thomas Jefferson, and jazz, may be best known for his series on Lewis and Clark’s Voyage of Discovery. Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 26 Oct. 2023 The story never ends, it is retold and remade, over and over, minor characters stepping forward, a major aria fading out. Sallie Tisdale, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023 But for Franklin and Barclay, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, was a story that needed to be retold. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2023 The Cousins’ Wars and 1775: A Good Year for Revolution retold the stories and backstories of America’s founding. Nr Editors, National Review, 20 Oct. 2023 The Caped Crusader would star in The Batman, retelling his adventures from his early days protecting Gotham, but the Man of Steel would get something a little different. Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 6 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'retell.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of retell was in 1593

Dictionary Entries Near retell

Cite this Entry

“Retell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retell. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

retell

verb
re·​tell rē-ˈtel How to pronounce retell (audio)
retold -ˈtōld How to pronounce retell (audio) ; retelling
1
: to tell again or in another form
2
: to count again
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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