repetition
Americannoun
-
the act of repeating, or doing, saying, or writing something again; repeated action, performance, production, or presentation.
-
repeated utterance; reiteration.
-
something made by or resulting from repeating.
-
a reproduction, copy, or replica.
-
Civil Law. an action or demand for the recovery of a payment or delivery made by error or upon failure to fulfill a condition.
noun
-
the act or an instance of repeating; reiteration
-
a thing, word, action, etc, that is repeated
-
a replica or copy
-
civil law Scots law the recovery or repayment of money paid or received by mistake, as when the same bill has been paid twice
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of repetition
1375–1425; late Middle English (< Old French repeticion ) < Latin repetītiōn- (stem of repetītiō ), equivalent to repetīt ( us ) (past participle of repetere to repeat ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Use the noun repetition to describe something that is repeated over and over, like the repetition of singing the alphabet song several times a day to help young children learn the letters. To correctly pronounce repetition, accent the third syllable: "re-peh-TIH-shun." Repetition and the closely related repeat come from the Latin word repetere, meaning "do or say again." It can be a very effective tool in public speaking, such as the repetition of "I have a dream that one day . . ." in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech.
Vocabulary lists containing repetition
Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Poetry: Literary Devices
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
AP English Lit exam terms
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
"Research about the Club World Cup showed us that the style is pretty much the same, but maybe the repetition is less often," he said.
From BBC • Jun. 17, 2026
The International Energy Agency was established to coordinate national responses to crises and avoid a repetition of the bruising scramble among countries for oil that sent prices soaring.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
Ms. Clark stages smart, probing explorations of an upbringing marked by waiting and repetition, in which the notion of growth appears fictitious.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
The ruling was significant, it added, as "there is a risk of repetition".
From BBC • May 13, 2026
I adapted them for my own repetition, and said to my pillow, “I love her, I love her, I love her!” hundreds of times.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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.
