reprise

1 of 2

noun

re·prise ri-ˈprēz

sense 3 is also ri-ˈprīz

Synonyms of reprise next

[French, from Middle French]

: a musical repetition:

(1)

: the repetition of the exposition preceding the development

(2)

: recapitulation sense 3

: a repeated performance : repetition

: a recurrence, renewal, or resumption of an action

: a deduction or charge made yearly out of a manor or estate

—usually used in plural

reprise

2 of 2

verb

re·prise ri-ˈprīz

sense 1 is ri-ˈprēz

reprised; reprising

transitive verb

: to repeat the performance of

: to repeat the principal points or stages of : recapitulate

archaic : take back

especially : to recover by force

archaic : compensate

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. That sense 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.

Examples of reprise in a Sentence

Noun They ended their performance with a reprise of the opening number. The team is hoping to avoid a reprise of last year's defeat. Verb He will reprise his role in the play. the prosecutor's closing statement effectively reprised the case against the defendant

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Noun

The previous Broadway-centric season bordered on unwatchable, so a seeming reprise of the conceit naturally raised concerns that this West Coast swing would be more of the same. —

Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2024 Can’t imagine there’s a reprise of that performance coming. —

Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 11 Sep. 2024

Verb

Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise trip to Saturday Night Live just three days before the presidential election, appearing in the mirror of Maya Rudolph, who again reprised her role as the VP, this time giving herself a pep talk. —

William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2024 During the sketch, Maya Rudolph reprised her role as Harris, before coming face-to-face with the candidate herself. —

Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 3 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for reprise

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

Verb

Middle English, from Middle French repris, past participle of reprendre

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of reprise was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Reprise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reprise. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Last Updated: 22 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

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reprise

noun

verb

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Synonyms

Examples of reprise in a Sentence

Word History

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Dictionary Entries Near reprise