rehearse
Americanverb (used with object)
-
rehearses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rehearsed,
past participle, past
-
rehearsing
present participle
-
to practice (a musical composition, a play, a speech, etc.) in private prior to a public presentation.
-
to drill or train (an actor, musician, etc.) by rehearsal, as for some performance or part.
-
to relate the facts or particulars of; recount.
- Synonyms:
- recapitulate, narrate, portray, describe, delineate
verb (used without object)
-
rehearses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rehearsed,
past participle, past
-
rehearsing
present participle
verb
-
to practise (a play, concert, etc), in preparation for public performance
-
(tr) to run through; recount; recite
the official rehearsed the grievances of the committee
-
(tr) to train or drill (a person or animal) for the public performance of a part in a play, show, etc
Synonym Usage
See relate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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rehearsernoun
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rehearsableadjective
-
unrehearsableadjective
-
unrehearsedadjective
-
unrehearsingadjective
-
well-rehearsedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rehearsesimple
-
rehearsessimple
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have rehearsedperfect
-
has rehearsedperfect
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am rehearsingprogressive
-
are rehearsingprogressive
-
is rehearsingprogressive
-
have been rehearsingperfect progressive
-
has been rehearsingperfect progressive
Past
-
rehearsedsimple
-
had rehearsedperfect
-
was rehearsingprogressive
-
were rehearsingprogressive
-
had been rehearsingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rehearse
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English rehersen, rehercen, from Middle French rehercier “to repeat,” equivalent to re- “again, over and over” + hercier “to strike, harrow” (derivative of herce, herse “a harrow”); see re-, hearse
Explanation
When you rehearse, you practice something. You and your cast mates will need to rehearse for several weeks before you'll be ready to perform the entire two hours and forty-five minutes of the musical "Hamilton." A new teacher might rehearse before his first day teaching math to ninth graders, and you'll want to rehearse before you sing the national anthem on the field before a baseball game begins. If you're nervous about something, like asking someone to the prom, you might rehearse it in your mind. At the root of rehearse is the Old French word rehercier, which means both "go over again," and "rake and turn over the soil."
Vocabulary lists containing rehearse
Speaking and Listening - Introductory
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Speaking and Listening - Middle School
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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.
See Examples For:
As the staging - complete with giant LED screens and the group's logo - is set up around them, the six members rehearse synchronised choreography alongside their back-up dancers.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
At one of Snabbit's training hubs in the southern tech hub of Bengaluru, workers rehearse tasks such as chopping vegetables against the clock.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Kwan said she would attend presentations with her sales team and rehearse what she saw in the mirror “over and over and over again” until it became second nature.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
It’s like watching stage actors rehearse the same lines they recite every night.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
There is no need to rehearse the pain and the humiliation of spirit in such an act.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
She rehearses obsessively at home, cueing up a song, then running into an adjacent room to sing, so she can't cheat on the mixes.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2025
The Inglewood High School marching band rehearses for an upcoming performance under the direction of teacher Joseph Jauregui.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2024
Now, this documentary is taking viewers behind the scenes with the playwright Jeremy O. Harris as he workshops and rehearses, before ultimately bringing the play to the big stage.
From New York Times ● Jun. 17, 2024
Take an American ballerina, clad in shimmering white, caught in a blur of revolving motion as she rehearses in China.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 4, 2023
Orson Welles rehearses The Campbell Playhouse in this 1938 CBS publicity composite.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
Gone are the rehearsed lines that financial markets are used to hearing from the central bank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Then, against advice, he presented a meticulously crafted and rehearsed speech at his sentencing hearing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
The scrupulously staged and rehearsed repertory at the Joyce, with Elisa Clark assisting as rehearsal director, holds bright promise for future retrospective efforts mining the Mark Morris Dance Group’s rich repertory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
But while analysts argue that Love Island is far from a perfect mirror of society, it nonetheless operates as a cultural stage where shifting gender norms and emerging challenges are publicly rehearsed.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
While he walked, he rehearsed what he’d say.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
Troops in flashy uniforms have been rehearsing on the White House driveway this week ahead of the welcome ceremony.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
She is currently rehearsing for her role as Clara in “The Nutcracker” in November, a part she has played for 45 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
One performer described the worst possible outcome: working all week, staying up all night, writing sketches, rehearsing constantly, and then discovering on Saturday night that you don’t even need hair and makeup.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
Twenty minutes later, they are on stage rehearsing The Happy Dictator; followed by Shaun Ryder, hamming up his part on the 2005 classic Dare!
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
After some searching, I found them rehearsing in the castle foyer, Hamlet directing their actions.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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