dress rehearsal
Americannoun
noun
-
the last complete rehearsal of a play or other work, using costumes, scenery, lighting, etc, as for the first night
-
any full-scale practice
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dress rehearsal
First recorded in 1820–30
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If the data turned hotter or colder, the rival drafts were a dress rehearsal for recasting policy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
He told everyone it was a pleasure to be there as a dress rehearsal for testifying before Congress.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
“They did a whole series of exercises to try and get together a full-scale dress rehearsal of what D-day would be,” Maras says.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Mission managers said they are analyzing the data collected and making necessary repairs ahead of plans to run another dress rehearsal.
From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026
But she told me there’s some superstition that a bad dress rehearsal means a good show.
From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
