rehearse
Americanverb (used with object)
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to practice (a musical composition, a play, a speech, etc.) in private prior to a public presentation.
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to drill or train (an actor, musician, etc.) by rehearsal, as for some performance or part.
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to relate the facts or particulars of; recount.
- Synonyms:
- recapitulate, narrate, portray, describe, delineate
verb (used without object)
verb
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to practise (a play, concert, etc), in preparation for public performance
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(tr) to run through; recount; recite
the official rehearsed the grievances of the committee
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(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
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unrehearsableadjective
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unrehearsedadjective
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unrehearsingadjective
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well-rehearsedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rehearsesimple
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rehearsessimple
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have rehearsedperfect
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has rehearsedperfect
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am rehearsingprogressive
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are rehearsingprogressive
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is rehearsingprogressive
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have been rehearsingperfect progressive
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has been rehearsingperfect progressive
Past
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rehearsedsimple
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had rehearsedperfect
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was rehearsingprogressive
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were rehearsingprogressive
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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:
Many job seekers are employing artificial intelligence to rehearse asking for a higher salary by using large language models like Claude or ChatGPT to practice a mock negotiation.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 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
"I think she would love this moment," Zanai tells the band after they rehearse.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
Each act had 10 to 20 minutes to rehearse with the backing band and technical staff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
The actual landing had been the one part of the mission that had been impossible to rehearse prior to the actual moment—and the most dangerous.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Backstage, as an orchestra rehearses and cameras document his every move, South African superstar Black Coffee is preparing for one of the biggest performances of his career.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
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
Alone on his couch, he rehearses the litany of troubles that have led him there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2023
Channeling that energy, he rehearses his fact-heavy, feelings-scant eulogy.
From Salon ● May 22, 2023
Ralph answered in the cautious voice of one who rehearses a theorem.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
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
The hosts of “The View” did not allow him to coast on his carefully rehearsed charm.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
Before the main drop for premium screenings last week, he rehearsed the steps it would take to improve his chances of snagging them online.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Each one of the leaders will have prepared answers for a host of topics, rehearsed their core messages and practised their attack lines to challenge the other leaders.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
She sounded as if she were reciting something rehearsed.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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
“I mean, I got here, I started rehearsing and conducting and meeting everybody and felt welcomed on all levels. It was as simple as that.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
In Meghalaya's capital, music spills constantly through public life: church choirs rehearsing late into the evening, teenage metal bands in garages, blues musicians drifting through dimly-lit bars.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
Was he rehearsing the role he meant to play at that night’s entertainment?
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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.
