repeat
Americanverb (used with object)
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repeats,
present (3rd person singular)
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repeated,
past participle, past
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repeating
present participle
-
to say or utter again (something already said).
to repeat a word for emphasis.
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to say or utter in reproducing the words, inflections, etc., of another.
to repeat a sentence after the teacher.
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to reproduce (utterances, sounds, etc.) in the manner of an echo, a phonograph, or the like.
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to tell (something heard) to another or others.
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to do, make, or perform again.
to repeat an action.
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to go through or undergo again.
to repeat an experience.
verb (used without object)
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repeats,
present (3rd person singular)
-
repeated,
past participle, past
-
repeating
present participle
-
to do or say something again.
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to cause a slight regurgitation.
The onions I ate are repeating on me.
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to vote illegally by casting more than one vote in the same election.
noun
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repeats
plural
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the act of repeating.
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something repeated; repetition.
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a duplicate or reproduction of something.
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a decorative pattern repeated, usually by printing, on a textile or the like.
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Music.
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a passage to be repeated.
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a sign, as a vertical arrangement of dots, calling for the repetition of a passage.
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a radio or television program that has been broadcast at least once before.
verb
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(when tr, may take a clause as object) to say or write (something) again, either once or several times; restate or reiterate
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to do or experience (something) again once or several times
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(intr) to occur more than once
the last figure repeats
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to reproduce (the words, sounds, etc) uttered by someone else; echo
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(tr) to utter (a poem, speech, etc) from memory; recite
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(intr)
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(of food) to be tasted again after ingestion as the result of belching or slight regurgitation
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to belch
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to tell to another person (the words, esp secrets, imparted to one by someone else)
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(intr) (of a clock) to strike the hour or quarter-hour just past, when a spring is pressed
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(intr) to vote (illegally) more than once in a single election
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to say or do the same thing more than once, esp so as to be tedious
noun
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the act or an instance of repeating
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( as modifier )
a repeat performance
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a word, action, etc, that is repeated
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an order made out for goods, provisions, etc, that duplicates a previous order
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a duplicate copy of something; reproduction
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radio television a further broadcast of a programme, film, etc, which has been broadcast before
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music a passage that is an exact restatement of the passage preceding it
Usage
Since again is part of the meaning of repeat , one should not say something is repeated again
Synonym Usage
Repeat, recapitulate, reiterate refer to saying a thing more than once. To repeat is to do or say something over again: to repeat a question, an order. To recapitulate is to restate in brief form, to summarize, often by repeating the principal points in a discourse: to recapitulate an argument. To reiterate is to do or say something over and over again, to repeat insistently: to reiterate a refusal, a demand.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonrepeatnoun
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repeatabilitynoun
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repeatableadjective
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self-repeatingadjective
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unrepeatableadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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repeatsimple
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repeatssimple
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have repeatedperfect
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has repeatedperfect
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am repeatingprogressive
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are repeatingprogressive
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is repeatingprogressive
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have been repeatingperfect progressive
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has been repeatingperfect progressive
Past
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repeatedsimple
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had repeatedperfect
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was repeatingprogressive
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were repeatingprogressive
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had been repeatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of repeat
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English repeten (verb), from Middle French repeter, from Latin repetere “to attack again, demand return of,” equivalent to re- re- + petere “to reach towards, seek” ( cf. perpetual, petulant)
Explanation
You can use the word repeat for things that happen again. You can use the word repeat for things that happen again. When you repeat, you do or say the same thing more than once. Sometimes you need to repeat what you said because someone didn’t hear it or understand it the first time, and other times you might repeat a statement for emphasis — you say it twice to really get your point across; in some cases you'll get "I heard you the first time" in return. Doing something over is another way to repeat, as when you repeat a test or draw a smiley face all over your notebooks in a repeat pattern.
Vocabulary lists containing repeat
Do-Over: Words For Groundhog Day
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Foundational Reading
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Units 6–7
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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:
“What we are seeing with home builders is a realization that spring 2027 is most likely going to be a repeat of 2026, if not slightly worse.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026
"We will take any other necessary and proportionate measures -- whether public or otherwise -- to respond to this incident and deter anyone who might seek to repeat it," he added.
From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2026
Ultimately, the goal is to establish an enduring human presence on the Moon rather than repeat the brief visits of earlier lunar expeditions.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2026
To avoid a repeat of 2008 when the meet the Kiwis in Brisbane next Sunday, they will need Walsh at his best to deal with the returned Kalyn Ponga.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2026
I tried to repeat Luc’s words to me, and to make them my own.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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“But if you dooooon’t …” Folger repeats the words like a pitcher caressing a verbal curveball she’s about to throw.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
The pattern repeats ad nauseum, in slightly different permutations.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
The rest—the models, the step and repeats, the Veuve Clicquot, the British motoring journalists complaining about the size of said sashimi—felt like a solid, traditional 9.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
"There are dark chapters in history that we must nevertheless be aware of. And yes, history undoubtedly repeats itself," she said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
“Rug-ooh-la,” Naano repeats as she comes to survey the goods.
From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan
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They reach only the people chosen, arrive undiversified and can’t be repeated for a whole nation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026
The Czech also claimed the first break of the opening set - but, in a pattern that repeated throughout the match, Sabalenka broke straight back.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026
Together, these findings reveal that the Shroud carries a complicated biological record shaped by repeated human contact and exposure to different environmental conditions.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2026
If there was any doubt, he repeated himself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026
“Is that true, Mr. Anderson?” the judge repeated, this time a bit louder.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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What if a superfluid could also develop the repeating internal structure normally associated with a crystal?
From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2026
The industrialist’s life would mirror “the repeating rises and falls of the Republic.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Corinne Mills, joint managing director of Personal Career Management, says that it can be worth asking an interviewer to clarify any weird questions, perhaps by repeating the question back to them.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
When a liquid cools quickly enough, its atoms become locked into a disordered arrangement rather than forming the repeating pattern found in crystals.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
To overcome the difficulty of getting past that monosyllable, I took it from her, and said, repeating it with emphasis, “Well! Then, that is why it makes me wretched.”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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