repeat

American  

[ri-peet] / rɪˈpit /

verb (used with object)

repeats, present (3rd person singular) repeated, past participle, past repeating present participle

1. to say or utter again (something already said).

   to repeat a word for emphasis.

   Synonyms:

   rehearse, recite, iterate

2. to say or utter in reproducing the words, inflections, etc., of another.

   to repeat a sentence after the teacher.

3. to reproduce (utterances, sounds, etc.) in the manner of an echo, a phonograph, or the like.

   Synonyms:

   reecho, echo

4. to tell (something heard) to another or others.

5. to do, make, or perform again.

   to repeat an action.

6. to go through or undergo again.

   to repeat an experience.

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verb (used without object)

repeats, present (3rd person singular) repeated, past participle, past repeating present participle

1. to do or say something again.

2. to cause a slight regurgitation.

   The onions I ate are repeating on me.

3. to vote illegally by casting more than one vote in the same election.

noun

1. the act of repeating.

2. something repeated; repetition.

3. a duplicate or reproduction of something.

4. a decorative pattern repeated, usually by printing, on a textile or the like.

5. Music.

   1. a passage to be repeated.

   2. a sign, as a vertical arrangement of dots, calling for the repetition of a passage.

6. a radio or television program that has been broadcast at least once before.

repeat British  

/ rɪˈpiːt /

verb

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to say or write (something) again, either once or several times; restate or reiterate

2. to do or experience (something) again once or several times

3. (intr) to occur more than once

   the last figure repeats

4. (tr; may take a clause as object) to reproduce (the words, sounds, etc) uttered by someone else; echo

5. (tr) to utter (a poem, speech, etc) from memory; recite

6. (intr)

   1. (of food) to be tasted again after ingestion as the result of belching or slight regurgitation

   2. to belch

7. (tr; may take a clause as object) to tell to another person (the words, esp secrets, imparted to one by someone else)

8. (intr) (of a clock) to strike the hour or quarter-hour just past, when a spring is pressed

9. (intr) to vote (illegally) more than once in a single election

10. to say or do the same thing more than once, esp so as to be tedious

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noun

1. 1. the act or an instance of repeating

   2. ( as modifier )

      a repeat performance

2. a word, action, etc, that is repeated

3. an order made out for goods, provisions, etc, that duplicates a previous order

4. a duplicate copy of something; reproduction

5. radio television a further broadcast of a programme, film, etc, which has been broadcast before

6. 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

• unrepeatable
  adjective
• nonrepeat
  noun
• repeatability
  noun
• repeatable
  adjective
• self-repeating
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have repeated
  perfect
• has repeated
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have been repeating
  perfect progressive
• are repeating
  progressive
• has been repeating
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• am repeating
  progressive 1st person singular
• is repeating
  progressive 3rd person singular
• repeating
  participle
• repeats
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had repeated
  perfect
• were repeating
  progressive plural
• had been repeating
  perfect progressive
• repeated
  participle
• repeated
  simple
• was repeating
  progressive singular

Future

• will repeat
  simple
• will have repeated
  perfect
• will have been repeating
  perfect progressive
• will be repeating
  progressive

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.

Example Sentences

During my latest trip to Asia, I played this on my headphones on repeat while I rode the subway . . . and haven’t stopped listening since.

From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026

Torode said: "I repeat that I have no recollection of what I'm accused of. The enquiry could not even state the date or year of when I am meant to have said something wrong."

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

The gold rush in music rights investing has been fueled in no small part by streaming services bringing artists’ work to ever larger audiences on repeat listening in markets around the world.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

Together, these emissions repeat on a regular cycle every 1.4 hours.

From Science Daily • Jun. 2, 2026

“Hold those images in your mind and repeat this sacred prayer after me. ‘

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

Related Words

• echo
• recite
• rehash
• reiterate
• renew
• replay
• restate