reprise
Americannoun
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Law. Usually reprises. an annual deduction, duty, or payment out of a manor or estate, as an annuity or the like.
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Music.
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a repetition.
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a return to the first theme or subject.
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verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Etymology
Origin of reprise
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French: a taking back, Old French, noun use of feminine past participle of reprendre to take back < Latin reprehendere to reprehend
Explanation
Reprise means "repeat an earlier role." If you’re asked to reprise your role as "kid entertainer" at the annual family reunion, that means people want you to do it again this year. Early on, reprise was a part in a song or other musical composition that is repeated. The word still carries that meaning, but now it's more likely to be used as a verb to describe an action or part that is repeated, often a performance. For example, if you played a role in a wildly successful film that is going to have a sequel, you would reprise your role. The word comes from the French word repris, meaning "take back."
Vocabulary lists containing reprise
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This Week In Popular Culture: August 17–23, 2019
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This Week In Culture: August 1–6, 2020
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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.
Sheen will reprise his role as composer Antonio Salieri opposite Howells as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
The demand for actors to reprise their most famous roles for the sake of dredging whatever value — read: money — is left from the property has to die, along with this reboot.
From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026
The actor had been set to reprise her iconic role in the reboot, tentatively titled “Buffy: New Sunnydale,” which she had been developing along with Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao for the Disney-owned streamer for years.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026
They have yet to turn a profit and may never be profitable; it’s the same old reprise.
From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026
When she was getting close to retiring, the opera decided to reprise her role one last time.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
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.
