repetition

American  

[rep-i-tish-uhn] / ˌrɛp ɪˈtɪʃ ən /

noun

1. the act of repeating, or doing, saying, or writing something again; repeated action, performance, production, or presentation.

2. repeated utterance; reiteration.

3. something made by or resulting from repeating.

4. a reproduction, copy, or replica.

5. Civil Law. an action or demand for the recovery of a payment or delivery made by error or upon failure to fulfill a condition.

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repetition British  

/ ˌrɛpɪˈtɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of repeating; reiteration

2. a thing, word, action, etc, that is repeated

3. a replica or copy

4. civil law Scots law the recovery or repayment of money paid or received by mistake, as when the same bill has been paid twice

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Other Word Forms

• nonrepetition noun

Etymology

Origin of repetition

1375–1425; late Middle English (< Old French repeticion ) < Latin repetītiōn- (stem of repetītiō ), equivalent to repetīt ( us ) (past participle of repetere to repeat ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

The first step is recognizing — and really believing — that repetition is often what allows people to stay nourished when energy, money, time or curiosity are in short supply.

From Salon

It was there, imprinted on his memory by a thousand repetitions—but everything else was blurred.

From Literature

To the viewer who actually dares to pay attention to a Netflix film, the repetition is shocking, practically comical.

From Salon

“Taste was shaped by repetition and memory. Comfort didn’t come from variety, but from predictability. Eating the same dish every winter wasn’t boring; it was reassuring.”

From Salon

There is the problem of repetition, as a great deal of “Vigil” reads like material that might have been cut from “Lincoln in the Bardo.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• litany
• recurrence
• reiteration
• repeat
• rhythm