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:
Investors are already wondering whether history will repeat itself.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
That first study, which his team has been able to repeat in multiple locations around the world, piggybacked off the rollout of the live-attenuated shingles vaccine in Wales in 2013.
From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2026
Now the question is whether McVay and the backs can repeat or produce a similar performance Sunday against the Chargers and beyond.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Americans were far more worried about federal debt in the 1980s and 1990s after they had experienced double-digit inflation and mortgage rates that they didn’t want to repeat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026
Don’t come up, I repeat to myself, willing Aunt Tess to stay where she is.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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The pattern repeats ad nauseum, in slightly different permutations.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 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
The primary theme repeats a climbing four-note figure three times before a sudden plunge of a full octave.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Every subsequent concert just rinses and repeats the same story.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
She puts the car in reverse and repeats herself gently under her breath: “Okay.”
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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The scientists then examined whether repeated treatment could produce sustained changes in body weight.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
Trump had made repeated campaign visits to Texas, including for the Republican midterm convention.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
Sohn says the phrase he’s heard repeated more than once is: “‘This is the America I love, and this is the America I want to live in.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
As for Jackson, it’s the latest setback in a career in which stretches of brilliance have been undermined by repeated injuries and absences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
“Frankenforde,” she repeated, trying to imagine where that might be.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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Polymers are large molecules made of repeating smaller units, and their flexibility makes them useful for creating adjustable molecular connections.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
Beyond that, it is worth repeating that predictions of his next moves at home and abroad risk being wrong.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
For a time, they looked in danger of repeating 2020, when they lost to the 0-13 New York Jets at SoFi Stadium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
After a pianissimo, ambient rumble combined with a brisk layer of tapping, both produced inside the piano, a gentle, melancholy theme is played on the keyboard, repeating and gradually expanding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
With Maggie alongside, Leah met them in the foyer, repeating the discouraging message, “The spirits have left us.”
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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