Synonyms

rehearse

American

[ri-hurs] / rɪˈhɜrs /

verb (used with object)

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)

to rehearse a play, part, etc.; participate in a rehearsal.

rehearse British

/ rɪˈhɜːs /

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See relate.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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."

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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:

rehearse rehearses rehearsed rehearsing

Rehearsal is formally a space where you practice a role; informally, it is where, in the background moments, you rehearse your version of yourself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

She noted that associates used to rehearse customer-advising scenarios improv-style with colleagues before the store opened.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 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

“I don’t want to be onstage at Carnegie Hall looking like a total idiot because we didn’t rehearse enough—all because Mrs. Atanabi was too flaky to show up on time.”

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio

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

In the next scene, Howze is splayed out on a mattress beneath a suspended fun house mirror, skis dangling from the ceiling as he rehearses his final thoughts.

From New York Times ● Feb. 12, 2024

Channeling that energy, he rehearses his fact-heavy, feelings-scant eulogy.

From Salon ● May 22, 2023

So he often rehearses several times before delivering a major address.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2023

He rehearses in his head the argument he will present to his sister.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

The first time he was involved in a stage production of “Endgame,” Mandell rehearsed with Beckett himself and even performed some of the scenes with the playwright.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

The group rehearsed “pretty much every night,” performed frequently and promoted itself aggressively.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Then, against advice, he presented a meticulously crafted and rehearsed speech at his sentencing hearing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 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

The principal players, meantime, rehearsed Hamlet endlessly, employing a slightly different version each day, as Mr. Shakespeare deleted or added passages to suit the fancy of the master of revels.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood

The scandal blew up while Lisa was rehearsing for a pivotal performance at the Coachella Festival in 2025.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Inside Nardis Jazz Club, a dimly lit venue with an intimate feel in the shadow of Istanbul's Galata Tower, a jazz trio is rehearsing ahead of an evening show with a singer.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 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

"I think we're rehearsing the ballroom scene," Nancy called out to her friends.

From "The Cinderella Ballet Mystery: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #4" by Carolyn Keene

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023