dress rehearsal

American  

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.

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dress rehearsal British  

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

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Etymology

Origin of dress rehearsal

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

Potentially someone who watched the dress rehearsal of the show just a few hours earlier.

From Barron's

Nasa set the launch date following a successful "wet dress rehearsal" - a critical pre-launch test where the rocket is filled with fuel and taken through the countdown sequence.

From BBC

The show requires extensive script changes and dress rehearsals ahead of the taping in the evening, and contestants are building out their acts throughout the week.

From Los Angeles Times

The group A game between Canada and the USA is widely expected to be a dress rehearsal for next week's gold medal match given their dominance over the rest of the world.

From BBC

The mishaps during a run-through that the US space agency calls a "wet dress rehearsal" dashed hopes that the mission around the Moon could launch as soon as Sunday.

From Barron's

Related Words

• dry run
• rehearsal