definitions

again

[ uh-gen, uh-geyn ]
/ əˈgɛn, əˈgeɪn /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR again ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

once more; another time; anew; in addition: Will you spell your name again, please?
in an additional case or instance; moreover; besides; furthermore.
on the other hand: It might happen, and again it might not.
back; in return; in reply: to answer again.
to the same place or person: to return again.

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RELATED WORDS

regularly, repeatedly, frequently, continuously

Nearby words

agabus, agada, agade, agadir, agag, again, again and again, against, against all odds, against one's better judgment, against one's will

Idioms

    again and again, with frequent repetition; often: They went over the same arguments again and again.
    as much again, twice as much: She earns as much again as I do.

Origin of again

before 900; Middle English agayn, ageyn, Old English ongegn opposite (to), equivalent to on on, in (see a-1) + gegn straight; cognate with Old High German ingagan, Old Norse igegn

Pronunciation note

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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for again and again

again

/ (əˈɡɛn, əˈɡeɪn) /

adverb

sentence connector

moreover; furthermoreagain, it could be said that he is not dead

Word Origin for again

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

Idioms and Phrases with again and again (1 of 2)

again and again

Repeatedly, often, as in I've told you again and again, don't turn up the heat. This idiom uses repetition for the purpose of emphasis (as does its synonym, over and over). Shakespeare used it in Othello (1:3): “I have told thee often, and I retell thee again and again.” [c. 1600]

Idioms and Phrases with again and again (2 of 2)

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.