repetition

American  

[rep-i-tish-uhn] / ˌrɛp ɪˈtɪʃ ən /

noun

• repetitions
  plural

1. 

   the act of repeating, or doing, saying, or writing something again; repeated action, performance, production, or presentation.

2. repeated utterance; reiteration.

3. something made by or resulting from repeating.

4. a reproduction, copy, or replica.

5. Civil Law. an action or demand for the recovery of a payment or delivery made by error or upon failure to fulfill a condition.

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repetition British  

/ ˌrɛpɪˈtɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of repeating; reiteration

2. a thing, word, action, etc, that is repeated

3. a replica or copy

4. civil law Scots law the recovery or repayment of money paid or received by mistake, as when the same bill has been paid twice

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrepetition
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• repetitions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of repetition

1375–1425; late Middle English (< Old French repeticion ) < Latin repetītiōn- (stem of repetītiō ), equivalent to repetīt ( us ) (past participle of repetere to repeat ) + -iōn- -ion

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Explanation

Use the noun repetition to describe something that is repeated over and over, like the repetition of singing the alphabet song several times a day to help young children learn the letters. To correctly pronounce repetition, accent the third syllable: "re-peh-TIH-shun." Repetition and the closely related repeat come from the Latin word repetere, meaning "do or say again." It can be a very effective tool in public speaking, such as the repetition of "I have a dream that one day . . ." in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

repetition repetitions

While max-cushion shoes may feel great initially, repetition of these minute wobbly, twisting moments plus the extra mechanical load on muscles, tendons, joints and bones could lead to injury in the long term, critics say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

They get in and out in under two hours, often starting as minor hits that become part of the cultural fabric through repetition; they’re on in the background and there when you need them.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

Also, less spontaneous thinking is required to unlock a defence as solutions are set out by their manager and drilled through repetition over a season.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

"She formulated a philosophy of art she dubbed 'self-obliteration' based on simple motifs of obsessive repetition and proliferation," according to her website.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

It becomes with public repetition a series of words, increasingly lifeless.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

"Sniffing a 90% dark chocolate odor added about 18 more repetitions to participants' leg extensions, while a 60% milk chocolate odor added about nine repetitions compared to the water control," said Nashrudin Naharudin.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

The countless repetitions give you the most beautiful art form where swans glide, fairies dance and every year a giant nutcracker appears.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

As it’s around 300 pages long, including innumerable repetitions, you may ask if the length and density is a bug or a feature.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026

"Keely can be doing certain repetitions, and she's being physically sick from the lactic acid. It's a little bit inhumane at times."

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026

After several repetitions of this pattern, Jethro tethered his team and, taking up his rifle, walked into the woods.

From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt

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Related Words

• litany
• recurrence
• reiteration
• repeat
• rhythm

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