repeat
Americanverb (used with object)
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repeats,
present (3rd person singular)
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repeated,
past participle, past
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repeating
present participle
-
to say or utter again (something already said).
to repeat a word for emphasis.
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to say or utter in reproducing the words, inflections, etc., of another.
to repeat a sentence after the teacher.
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to reproduce (utterances, sounds, etc.) in the manner of an echo, a phonograph, or the like.
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to tell (something heard) to another or others.
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to do, make, or perform again.
to repeat an action.
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to go through or undergo again.
to repeat an experience.
verb (used without object)
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repeats,
present (3rd person singular)
-
repeated,
past participle, past
-
repeating
present participle
-
to do or say something again.
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to cause a slight regurgitation.
The onions I ate are repeating on me.
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to vote illegally by casting more than one vote in the same election.
noun
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repeats
plural
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the act of repeating.
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something repeated; repetition.
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a duplicate or reproduction of something.
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a decorative pattern repeated, usually by printing, on a textile or the like.
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Music.
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a passage to be repeated.
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a sign, as a vertical arrangement of dots, calling for the repetition of a passage.
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a radio or television program that has been broadcast at least once before.
verb
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(when tr, may take a clause as object) to say or write (something) again, either once or several times; restate or reiterate
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to do or experience (something) again once or several times
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(intr) to occur more than once
the last figure repeats
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to reproduce (the words, sounds, etc) uttered by someone else; echo
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(tr) to utter (a poem, speech, etc) from memory; recite
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(intr)
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(of food) to be tasted again after ingestion as the result of belching or slight regurgitation
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to belch
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to tell to another person (the words, esp secrets, imparted to one by someone else)
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(intr) (of a clock) to strike the hour or quarter-hour just past, when a spring is pressed
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(intr) to vote (illegally) more than once in a single election
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to say or do the same thing more than once, esp so as to be tedious
noun
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the act or an instance of repeating
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( as modifier )
a repeat performance
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a word, action, etc, that is repeated
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an order made out for goods, provisions, etc, that duplicates a previous order
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a duplicate copy of something; reproduction
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radio television a further broadcast of a programme, film, etc, which has been broadcast before
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music a passage that is an exact restatement of the passage preceding it
Usage
Since again is part of the meaning of repeat , one should not say something is repeated again
Synonym Usage
Repeat, recapitulate, reiterate refer to saying a thing more than once. To repeat is to do or say something over again: to repeat a question, an order. To recapitulate is to restate in brief form, to summarize, often by repeating the principal points in a discourse: to recapitulate an argument. To reiterate is to do or say something over and over again, to repeat insistently: to reiterate a refusal, a demand.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonrepeatnoun
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repeatabilitynoun
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repeatableadjective
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self-repeatingadjective
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unrepeatableadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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repeatsimple
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repeatssimple
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have repeatedperfect
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has repeatedperfect
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am repeatingprogressive
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are repeatingprogressive
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is repeatingprogressive
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have been repeatingperfect progressive
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has been repeatingperfect progressive
Past
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repeatedsimple
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had repeatedperfect
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was repeatingprogressive
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were repeatingprogressive
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had been repeatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of repeat
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English repeten (verb), from Middle French repeter, from Latin repetere “to attack again, demand return of,” equivalent to re- re- + petere “to reach towards, seek” ( cf. perpetual, petulant)
Explanation
You can use the word repeat for things that happen again. You can use the word repeat for things that happen again. When you repeat, you do or say the same thing more than once. Sometimes you need to repeat what you said because someone didn’t hear it or understand it the first time, and other times you might repeat a statement for emphasis — you say it twice to really get your point across; in some cases you'll get "I heard you the first time" in return. Doing something over is another way to repeat, as when you repeat a test or draw a smiley face all over your notebooks in a repeat pattern.
Vocabulary lists containing repeat
Do-Over: Words For Groundhog Day
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Foundational Reading
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Units 6–7
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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.
See Examples For:
I put Bill Conti’s soaring “Gonna Fly Now” on repeat during the drive home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Investors are already wondering whether history will repeat itself.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
Called the Pizookie, the giant, deep-dish cookie draws new and repeat diners, particularly younger guests, finance chief Todd Wilson told me.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
That first study, which his team has been able to repeat in multiple locations around the world, piggybacked off the rollout of the live-attenuated shingles vaccine in Wales in 2013.
From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2026
And I know Grandma doesn’t want a repeat of that.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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“But if you dooooon’t …” Folger repeats the words like a pitcher caressing a verbal curveball she’s about to throw.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
The pattern repeats ad nauseum, in slightly different permutations.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
"There are dark chapters in history that we must nevertheless be aware of. And yes, history undoubtedly repeats itself," she said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Everybody understands - and the new DG repeats this, just as his predecessor Tim David did - that the BBC must go to where audiences are and where they will be in the future.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
“It is far away,” Guardian repeats one more time.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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Court records show that this agreement was reached after repeated pressure from Jimenez’s attorneys to force prosecutors to produce records and a judge’s decision to side with the defense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
Scientists must prepare the auxiliary qubits, connect them to the qubits being studied, transfer information between them, and perform repeated measurements.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
In 2024, repeated earnings shortfalls led to a plunging stock price and pressure for change from activist hedge fund Glenview Capital Management.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Trump had made repeated campaign visits to Texas, including for the Republican midterm convention.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
“Eleven, sixteen, forty-nine, a hundred and two?” the boy repeated.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
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Beyond that, it is worth repeating that predictions of his next moves at home and abroad risk being wrong.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
Some meteors also display repeating changes in brightness, which can reveal how quickly they are spinning.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
“I don’t feel that,” Raman said, repeating the phrase two more times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
After a pianissimo, ambient rumble combined with a brisk layer of tapping, both produced inside the piano, a gentle, melancholy theme is played on the keyboard, repeating and gradually expanding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
He was easily secured, and, to my surprise, went with the attendants quite placidly, simply repeating over and over again: “The blood is the life! The blood is the life!”
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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