as in performing
to act out a past event; to enact again
The group reenacted a famous American Civil War battle.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of reenacting
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
Palm Sunday is celebrated by Christians by reenacting Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem with processions, waving palm branches, and conducting special church services.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 29 Mar. 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
What kind of faith is kept alive by reenacting a civil war?
—Ahmed Naji, The Dial, 18 Nov. 2025
TikTok users are sharing their childhood and teenage memories on the platform with #early2000snostalgia — from skits reenacting their high school experiences to throwback videos on popular Y2K items.
—Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Apr. 2026
Palm Sunday is celebrated by Christians by reenacting Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem with processions, waving palm branches, and conducting special church services.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 29 Mar. 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
What kind of faith is kept alive by reenacting a civil war?
—Ahmed Naji, The Dial, 18 Nov. 2025
TikTok users are sharing their childhood and teenage memories on the platform with #early2000snostalgia — from skits reenacting their high school experiences to throwback videos on popular Y2K items.
—Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reenacting
Verb
-
On Wednesday morning, Coral Springs police discovered Metayer‘s body inside her home while performing a welfare check.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Research from Anthropic last month revealed that AI is theoretically capable of performing the majority of tasks in white-collar fields, such as engineering, law, and business and finance.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This is a prerequisite for executing quantum algorithms.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
-
When that agent is sitting on top of your brokerage account or executing financial API calls, even a single failure can produce immediate, realized loss.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Xinis pointed out that the DOJ is prosecuting him in Tennessee on human smuggling charges.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
While First Amendment protections for speech and press freedom have kept the federal government from prosecuting journalists with frequency, there is a long history of jailing journalists on contempt charges for refusing to name their anonymous sources.—
Joseph Konig,
PEOPLE,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Nicholson had a security camera screenshot of White committing the burglary on his phone.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Fully committing to the look, Grande's hair also featured a deep side part and soft baby bangs that barely grazed her forehead.—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The unions have been negotiating with the district for more than a year over wages, staffing levels and working conditions.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Asian countries’ energy and commodities imports have been strangled, and several are negotiating with Tehran for safe passage — a situation that could quickly become permanent, an academic noted.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Even dramas depicting the city as an inferno of crime and decay added to its legend.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The movie, like the novel, unfolds in two parts, following the events leading up to the murder, including Meursault’s relationship with Marie (Rebecca Marder) and friendship with Raymond (Pierre Lottin) and then depicting Meursault’s questioning and trial.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
To Coimbra, some key questions involved amalgamating real-life characters into fictionalized ones while still honoring victims and survivors, as well as faithfully recreating the look and feel of the time.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Maybe recreating the moment with him as a joke in practice.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reenacting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reenacting. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
