as in performing
to act out a past event; to enact again
The group reenacted a famous American Civil War battle.
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Recent Examples of reenacting
But a few days later, on a brief holiday near Quebec, she was spotted reenacting the scene, pointing her home-movie camera at her husband and issuing orders in her version of an American accent.
—
Susan Page, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Each spoke about the weight of reenacting moments from a living person’s life; Yarris, now free, was a frequent presence at both table reads and performances.
—Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 21 Apr. 2026
Barbie Ferreira stars as Margot, a content moderator who comes across some disturbing videos reenacting murders from the original Faces of Death.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
Ever since Sydney had brought Victor back from the dead, his power had been glitching, his body reenacting the same electrical surge that had stopped his heart back at Lockland, fifteen years before.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Apr. 2026
Every year on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar and the same day as the Battle of Karbala, Shiite Muslims inside and outside of Iran observe Ashura and commemorate the slaying of Hussain by reenacting his death and performing self-flagellation, among other rituals.
—Eric Lob, The Conversation, 2 Mar. 2026
Metcalf and Pullman are both wonderful in their shuffling ordinariness, reenacting long-obsolete parental dynamics with a kind of rueful, hopeful denial.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
This year’s ceremony, by contrast, opened with a pair of dancers in angel wings reenacting the neoclassical sculpture Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss, which was created about 100 years before the invention of the lightbulb.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026
One component of the agreement barred the federal government, for at least eight years, from reenacting immigration policies that systematically separate children and parents.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Susan Page, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Each spoke about the weight of reenacting moments from a living person’s life; Yarris, now free, was a frequent presence at both table reads and performances.
—Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 21 Apr. 2026
Barbie Ferreira stars as Margot, a content moderator who comes across some disturbing videos reenacting murders from the original Faces of Death.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
Ever since Sydney had brought Victor back from the dead, his power had been glitching, his body reenacting the same electrical surge that had stopped his heart back at Lockland, fifteen years before.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Apr. 2026
Every year on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar and the same day as the Battle of Karbala, Shiite Muslims inside and outside of Iran observe Ashura and commemorate the slaying of Hussain by reenacting his death and performing self-flagellation, among other rituals.
—Eric Lob, The Conversation, 2 Mar. 2026
Metcalf and Pullman are both wonderful in their shuffling ordinariness, reenacting long-obsolete parental dynamics with a kind of rueful, hopeful denial.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
This year’s ceremony, by contrast, opened with a pair of dancers in angel wings reenacting the neoclassical sculpture Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss, which was created about 100 years before the invention of the lightbulb.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026
One component of the agreement barred the federal government, for at least eight years, from reenacting immigration policies that systematically separate children and parents.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reenacting
Verb
-
Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents' Association, said in a statement that the renowned performing artist will offer a thrilling glimpse into the minds of newsmakers.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
-
For the project, Theron, famous for performing the vast majority of her stunts in action films like Atomic Blonde and The Old Guard, trained with rock climber Beth Rodden to believably portray Sasha, an avid adventurer.—
Nigel Smith,
PEOPLE,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In practice, this means that before executing movements, the humanoid predicts potential environmental changes and evaluates possible outcomes, as part of a simulation-first approach that is becoming central to physical AI development.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Police found a 9 mm bullet casing inside the car when executing a search warrant.—
Deborah Laverty,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The settlement was largely political with the DOJ’s prosecuting lawyers and states attorneys general kept in the dark regarding secret negotiations between top government officials and the company.—
Justin Zacks,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The California Department of Justice report found insufficient evidence to support criminally prosecuting Silva.—
Sierra van der Brug,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Kevin Gavin, 71, pleaded guilty to committing the killings, all in the same Powell Ave.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Iran and its allies are committing epic financial fraud in America.—
,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, the push to develop local mineral value chains has taken the tone of negotiating higher equity stakes in mining projects for the government, accompanied by threats of seizures and hostile takeovers.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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That may be easier said than done while negotiating airports and trekking across new terrain.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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An impressive theater Each of the three stories of the West Theater was surrounded by 16 columns, between which statues of gods were displayed, often depicting scenes from Homer’s epics.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
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But if the estate is legally prohibited from depicting basically the entire second half of Jackson’s life, what would a second movie even be about?—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Vanity Fair spoke with the costume designer for the movie, Marci Rodgers, who had the heavy task of recreating Jackson’s world through fashion.—
Kia D. Goosby,
Vanity Fair,
25 Apr. 2026
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Fuqua even shot an entire action sequence recreating the infamous 1993 raid on Neverland Ranch, which culminated in police officers strip-searching Jackson and examining his genitals to compare them with Chandler’s description.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reenacting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reenacting. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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