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
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have reprisedperfect
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has reprisedperfect 3rd person singular
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reprisingparticiple
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has been reprisingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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reprisessingular 3rd person
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have been reprisingperfect progressive
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am reprisingprogressive 1st person singular
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is reprisingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are reprisingprogressive
Past
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had reprisedperfect
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had been reprisingperfect progressive
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reprisedsimple
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reprisedparticiple
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were reprisingprogressive plural
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was reprisingprogressive singular
Future
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
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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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.
I mean no offense to Bettany or Michael Sheen, who recently signed on to reprise the role for a West End production set for spring of 2027.
From Salon • May 16, 2026
The film’s stars, Jackie Chan, 72, and Chris Tucker, 54, are reportedly in negotiations to reprise their roles in the new film, which is tentatively scheduled to be released in 2028.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
Cameron seems to have given himself two challenges: make this Manchester stadium feel as hyper-real as Pandora and shoot the crowd like a reprise of “A Hard Day’s Night.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt reprise their roles from the 2006 comedy in this flimsy fashion-world sequel.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
He read my ticket and then went through a reprise of the just-the-facts interrogation he had administered that afternoon in the Watch Commander’s Office.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
