rendition

American  

[ren-dish-uhn] / rɛnˈdɪʃ ən /

noun

• renditions
  plural

1. the act of rendering.

   Synonyms:

   version, interpretation

2. a translation.

3. an interpretation, as of a role or a piece of music.

4. the legal procedure or process of sending a suspected criminal to another country to be interrogated or detained, usually for law-enforcement purposes.

5. Archaic. surrender.

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rendition British  

/ rɛnˈdɪʃən /

noun

1. a performance of a musical composition, dramatic role, etc

2. a translation of a text

3. the act of rendering

4. archaic surrender

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verb

1. (tr) to subject (a person) to extraordinary rendition

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrendition
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• renditions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of rendition

1595–1605; < Middle French, alteration of reddition (< Middle English reddicion ) < Late Latin redditiōn- (stem of redditiō ), equivalent to Latin reddit ( us ) (past participle of reddere; see render ¹) + -iōn- -ion

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Explanation

A rendition is an interpretation, performance, or translation. Whitney Houston's rendition of the Star Spangled Banner is still used at games today; Roseanne Barr's is not. This word comes from the Old French rendre, which means “to deliver, yield.” So if you want to put your spin on a song or poem or your favorite movie monologue, go ahead and deliver your rendition of it. But know that in modern times this word has also been used as a noun, describing the secret capture and interrogation of a terror suspect in a foreign country that has less strict human rights laws.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rendition renditions

And I wouldn’t be surprised if Pugh’s exquisite, gorgeously brutal rendition leads more of us to her defense.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

The overwhelmingly positive response to Peña’s rendition of the Morrissey-penned tune let him know that people had an appetite to see the Smiths and mariachi blended together.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

The evening also saw Jones and Corden reunited for a rendition of Islands In the Stream, a duet they did on the show, while Corden performed Me and Mrs Jones by Billy Paul.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

"We are asking those involved in this illegal rendition that has put Dr Besigye on his deathbed be addressed and those responsible be held accountable," said Hussein Khalid of rights group Vocal Africa.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

The Smeaths in our rendition of them are charmless, miserly, heavy as dough, boring as white margarine, which we claim they eat for dessert.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

After delivering punchy renditions of new tracks Wink Wink, Yeah and Card Declined, she stepped out to change from a black sparkly blazer into a black corseted dress.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

In her IMDb autobiography, she recalled early memories of subjecting relatives to renditions of “When I Grow Too Old to Dream,” from the 1935 film “The Night Is Young.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

In animated renditions streaming on HBO Max, the Green Lantern fares much better.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

Bocelli would return to Mar-a-Lago for an early-2024 “charity” event, however, and Trump would keep playing his operatic renditions at his campaign stops.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

The headquarters themselves even look different, and with my lenses on, the walls are covered in swirls of color and artistic renditions of the company’s logo.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

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Related Words

• depiction
• interpretation
• portrayal
• presentation
• rendering
• transcription
• translation
• version

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