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.
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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
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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.
The four models made in the country are the Chevrolet Trax and Trailblazer, plus the Buick Envista and Encore GX.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
His Doing Fine Encore tour includes a date in Folkestone on 6 March, while he will appear as Dr Frank‑N‑Furter at Eastbourne's Congress Theatre in May.
From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026
The webinar was offered by the Encore Network, a nonprofit championing people over 50.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 2026
For example, in a series of sound effects set within a music venue, there is a “Guitar Tuned but Still Somehow Out of Tune” and a “Sparsely Attended Show Encore With Someone Shouting ‘Where’s Jim?’”
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2025
Once more I front the same old House, And hear the same "Encore!"
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 98, March 15, 1890 by Various
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.
