dress rehearsal

noun

1. a rehearsal of a play or other performance in costume and with scenery, properties, and lights arranged and operated as for a performance: often the final rehearsal.

dress rehearsal

noun

1. the last complete rehearsal of a play or other work, using costumes, scenery, lighting, etc, as for the first night

2. any full-scale practice

Word History and Origins

Origin of dress rehearsal¹

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

A previous dress rehearsal highlighted the need for a new traffic light at a specific location to alleviate gridlock when military convoys move across the country.

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The Herculean task of singing five performances and a dress rehearsal of this demanding opera over six days could easily result in mass vocal destruction without the aid of microphones.

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If you remember Pearl Harbor, call it a dress rehearsal.

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A Marine spokesperson later said it was part of a dress rehearsal.

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A spokesperson for the Marines later said the firing was part of a dress rehearsal.

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Related Words

• dry run 
• rehearsal