again

[ uh-gen, uh-geyn ]
See synonyms for again on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. once more; another time; anew; in addition: Will you spell your name again, please?

  2. in an additional case or instance; moreover; besides; furthermore.

  1. on the other hand: It might happen, and again it might not.

  2. in return; back; in reply: to answer again.

  3. to the same place or person: to return again.

Idioms about again

  1. again and again, with frequent repetition; often: They went over the same arguments again and again.

  2. as much again, twice as much: She earns as much again as I do.

Origin of again

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English agayn, ageyn, Old English ongegn “opposite (to),” equivalent to onon, in” (see a-1) + gegn “straigh”t; cognate with Old High German ingagan, Old Norse igegn

pronunciation note For again

By far the most common pronunciation of again, in all parts of the United States, is [uh-gen], /əˈgɛn/, with the same vowel heard in yet and pep. The pronunciation [uh-geyn], /əˈgeɪn/, rhyming with pain, occurs chiefly in the Atlantic states. Again said as [uh-gin], /əˈgɪn/, with the vowel of pit or sip, or with a vowel somewhere between [e] /ɛ/ and [i], /ɪ/, is the common pronunciation in much of the South, where [e] /ɛ/ and [i] /ɪ/ tend to become neutralized, or more like one another, before [m] /m/ and [n], /n/, leading to a lack of noticeable distinction between such pairs as pen and pin, ten and tin.

Words Nearby again

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use again in a sentence

  • Each day she resolved, "To-morrow I will tell Felipe;" and when to-morrow came, she put it off again.

    Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson
  • And that was that if he and his wife were to ever live together again and be happy, the family were to be kept out of it.

    The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux
  • Before he could finish the sentence the Hole-keeper said snappishly, "Well, drop out again—quick!"

    Davy and The Goblin | Charles E. Carryl
  • "Better so," was the Senora's sole reply; and she fell again into still deeper, more perplexed thought about the hidden treasure.

    Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson
  • Before the outlaw can comply with this small request the horn sounds again.

    Physiology of The Opera | John H. Swaby (AKA "Scrici")

British Dictionary definitions for again

again

/ (əˈɡɛn, əˈɡeɪn) /


adverb
  1. another or second time; once more; anew: he had to start again

  2. once more in a previously experienced or encountered place, state, or condition: he is ill again; he came back again

  1. in addition to the original amount, quantity, etc (esp in the phrases as much again; half as much again)

  2. (sentence modifier) on the other hand: he might come and then again he might not

  3. besides; also: she is beautiful and, again, intelligent

  4. archaic in reply; back: he answered again to the questioning voice

  5. again and again continuously; repeatedly

  6. (used with a negative) Caribbean any more; any longer: I don't eat pumpkin again

sentence connector
  1. moreover; furthermore: again, it could be said that he is not dead

Origin of again

1
Old English ongegn opposite to, from a- ² + gegn straight

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with again

again

In addition to the idiom beginning with again

  • again and again

also see:

  • come again
  • do something over again
  • ever and again
  • every now and again
  • here someone goes again
  • now and again
  • off and on (off again, on again)
  • over again
  • something else again
  • time and time again
  • you can say that again

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.