rehearsed; rehearsing
1
a
: to say again : repeat
b
: to recite aloud in a formal manner
2
: to present an account of : relate
rehearse a familiar story
3
: to recount in order : enumerate
rehearsed their demands
4
a
: to give a rehearsal of
b
: to train or make proficient by rehearsal
5
: to perform or practice as if in a rehearsal
: to engage in a rehearsal
rehearser
noun
Examples of rehearse in a Sentence
The orchestra is rehearsing a piece by Schumann.
The band stayed up late rehearsing for the big show.
We were allowed to watch the director rehearse the dancers.
lawyers rehearsing their closing arguments
He rehearsed his dance moves in front of the mirror.
Recent Examples on the Web
Nikki Glaser Has Run Through Her Globes Monologue 93 Times
13 hr 37 min ago
Globes host Nikki Glaser is more than ready for her nine-minute monologue — because she's rehearsed it 93 times.
—
Lindsay Kimble, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
The resulting look can resemble outfits worn by K-pop stars rehearsing dance routines, or the layers may echo those worn in modern and contemporary dance studios across New York City.
—Misty White Sidell, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2025
According to Wald, the band wasn’t well rehearsed and there were long gaps between songs as the band members figured out what to do with themselves.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 25 Dec. 2024
Everything was worked out and choreographed before and rehearsed, rehearsed, rehearsed to get all those moments right.
—Jen Chaney, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rehearse 
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Lindsay Kimble, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
The resulting look can resemble outfits worn by K-pop stars rehearsing dance routines, or the layers may echo those worn in modern and contemporary dance studios across New York City.
—Misty White Sidell, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2025
According to Wald, the band wasn’t well rehearsed and there were long gaps between songs as the band members figured out what to do with themselves.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 25 Dec. 2024
Everything was worked out and choreographed before and rehearsed, rehearsed, rehearsed to get all those moments right.
—Jen Chaney, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rehearse
Dictionary Entries Near rehearse
Cite this Entry
“Rehearse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rehearse. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rehearse
verb
re·hearse
ri-ˈhərs 
rehearsed; rehearsing
1
2
a
: to practice (a play or scene) for public performance
b
: to train or instruct (as actors) by rehearsal
3
: to engage in a rehearsal
rehearser
noun
Etymology
Middle English rehersen "to say again, repeat," from early French rehercier "to go over again and again," literally, "to harrow again," from re- "again" and hercier "to harrow," from herce "a harrow"
Word Origin
In the Middle Ages, French farmers used a tool they called a herce. This was a triangular wooden frame with sturdy pegs or teeth on one side. It was pulled over plowed farmland to break up the soil in order to make it smooth for planting. The early French verb used to describe this action was hercier, which meant "to harrow." In most cases the process had to be repeated over and over, so the word rehercier was formed, meaning "to harrow again" or "reharrow." In time, rehercier came to be used with more general meanings like "to go over something again (and again)," as in repeating a school lesson or a story. The word came into Middle English as rehersen, meaning "to say again, repeat." Through the years the English word, now spelled rehearse, has picked up new meanings. Perhaps the most familiar one now is "to go through (a scene or play) over and over for practice until it is ready for performance."
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