replay
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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an act or instance of replaying.
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a repetition of all or part of a broadcast or of the playing of a phonograph record, videocassette, etc.
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a rematch.
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Informal. a repetition, recurrence, or reenactment.
The recession could be a replay of the Great Depression.
noun
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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
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a rematch
verb
Etymology
Origin of replay
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.
Vocabulary lists containing replay
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.
There are advantages to not being there: At home, you have instant replay, closeups, announcers providing a stream of information, or Mr. Tucci sparing you the plane flight and calories.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
By comparing how participants described their daily experiences and their dreams, the researchers found that the brain does not simply replay waking life during sleep.
From Science Daily • Apr. 28, 2026
By that standard, private credit today does not look like a replay of traditional banking fragility.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
Team owners approved a rule Tuesday allowing the league to intervene from its New York headquarters and correct officiating errors in real time using replay technology.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026
Some are shouting for a replay, that we hadn’t won this round at all.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
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.
