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Synonyms

replay

American  
[ree-pley, ree-pley] / riˈpleɪ, ˈriˌpleɪ /

verb (used with object)

  1. to play again, as a record or tape.

noun

  1. an act or instance of replaying.

  2. a repetition of all or part of a broadcast or of the playing of a phonograph record, videocassette, etc.

  3. instant replay.

  4. a rematch.

  5. Informal. a repetition, recurrence, or reenactment.

    The recession could be a replay of the Great Depression.
replay British  

noun

  1. Also called: action replay.  television a showing again of a sequence of action, esp of part of a sporting contest immediately after it happens either in slow motion (a slow-motion replay ) or at normal speed

  2. a rematch

"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

verb

  1. to play again (a record, television sequence, sporting contest, etc)

"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

Etymology

Origin of replay

First recorded in 1880–85; re- + play

Explanation

When you replay something, you play it again, whether it's a soccer match or a blues tune on your guitar. You can even replay, or repeat, a happy event over and over again in your mind. If you take a video of your kitten playing with a ball of yarn, you can replay it any time you need a little cheering up. And in some sports, teams will replay a game that ends in a tie or is cancelled because of bad weather. This sports meaning is actually the oldest on record for replay, from an 1862 description of a curling match.

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Vocabulary lists containing replay

American Football, 4th Quarter

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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.

By that standard, private credit today does not look like a replay of traditional banking fragility.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

The replay clearly showed that Bauers had stepped on the bag, and the call was reversed.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

“Yeah, grateful for that,” Bauers told reporters about the replay review.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

It was not until 1990-91 that the FA Cup introduced penalties if teams were level after extra time in a replay.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

I really want to walk offstage, go back to my seat, and replay the moment that just happened with Isaac and me, but I know I have to go along.

From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan

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.