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Synonyms

repeater

American  
[ri-pee-ter] / rɪˈpi tər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that repeats.

  2. a repeating firearm.

  3. Horology. a timepiece, especially a watch, that may be made to strike the hour or part of the hour.

  4. Education. a student who repeats a course or group of courses that they have failed.

  5. a person who votes illegally by casting more than one vote in the same election.

  6. a person who has been convicted and sentenced for one crime, and later for another; recidivist.

  7. Mathematics. (no longer in technical use) a repeating decimal.

  8. Telecommunications. a device capable of receiving one-way or two-way communications signals and delivering corresponding signals that are either amplified, reshaped, or both.

  9. Navigation. gyro repeater.

repeater British  
/ rɪˈpiːtə /

noun

  1. a person or thing that repeats

  2. Also called: repeating firearm.  a firearm capable of discharging several shots without reloading

  3. a timepiece having a mechanism enabling it to strike the hour or quarter-hour just past, when a spring is pressed

  4. electrical engineering a device that amplifies or augments incoming electrical signals and retransmits them, thus compensating for transmission losses

  5. Also called: substitute.  nautical one of three signal flags hoisted with others to indicate that one of the top three is to be repeated

"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

Other Word Forms

  • nonrepeater noun

Etymology

Origin of repeater

First recorded in 1570–80; repeat + -er 1

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.

In quantum repeater networks, they could synchronize multiple single photons at the same time, greatly boosting the efficiency of long-distance quantum communication.

From Science Daily • Jan. 6, 2026

The radar in question, a Neva-B, was acting as a repeater, expanding Russia's field of vision in the vital waters between Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula.

From BBC • Sep. 11, 2023

The Meater Plus, for $30 more, puts a Bluetooth repeater in the charging block, which can be used to extend the effective range to up to 165 feet.

From Salon • Aug. 21, 2022

But unlike repeater devices, mesh networks usually have to be all part of the same system, so you can’t simply add an extra hub to whatever router you’re using now.

From Washington Post • Mar. 25, 2022

The repeater kept saying we had to make it through the first winter.

From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.