encore
Americaninterjection
noun
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a demand, as by applause, for a repetition of a song, act, etc., or for a performance of a number or piece additional to those on a program, or for a reappearance by the performers, as at the end of a concert, recital, etc.
-
the performance or reappearance in response to such a demand.
He chose a Chopin nocturne for his encore.
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any repeated or additional performance or appearance, as a rerun of a telecast or a rematch in sports.
verb (used with object)
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to call for a repetition of.
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to call for an encore from (a performer).
interjection
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has encoredperfect 3rd person singular
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have encoredperfect
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has been encoringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am encoringprogressive 1st person singular
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are encoringprogressive
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have been encoringperfect progressive
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encoressingular 3rd person
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is encoringprogressive 3rd person singular
-
encoringparticiple
Past
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had encoredperfect
-
were encoringprogressive plural
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encoredparticiple
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encoredsimple
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had been encoringperfect progressive
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was encoringprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of encore
1705–15; < French: still, yet, besides < Latin hinc hā hōrā or hinc ad hōram until this hour
Explanation
A performance that's repeated or added to the regular performance is called an encore. If you can't hear anything because of last night's concert, it might be because the band played for two hours and then did a thirty minute encore. Encore is a French word meaning "again." Audiences often yell "Encore!" if a play, song, or other act has been particularly good. In essence they are shouting "Again!" After a musical number, the encore may take the form of a repeated verse or chorus. At the end of a concert, the encore may be a whole extra set. The word is sometimes used sarcastically: "Well, you flunked math. What are you going to do for an encore?"
Vocabulary lists containing encore
Do-Over: Words For Groundhog Day
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Theater - Introductory
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English Words Derived from French, List 4
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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.
CLOWNEY’S ENCORE: The Texans are hoping for another big performance from Jadeveon Clowney after the top overall pick in the 2014 draft had the best season of his career last year.
From Washington Times • Aug. 29, 2018
ENCORE: the effect of nutrient enrichment on coral reefs.
From Nature • Mar. 13, 2018
PETTWAY’S ENCORE: Pettway hadn’t logged a carry for Auburn before last week’s 15-carry, 152-yard coming out party.
From Washington Times • Sep. 16, 2016
LAVINE’S ENCORE: The Minnesota Timberwolves guard put on a breath-taking performance as a 19-year-old last year in New York, one that some said was the best since Vince Carter’s peerless show in 2000.
From Washington Times • Feb. 8, 2016
The repetition in Nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical ENCORE.
From Orthodoxy by Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)
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.
