rehearse
verb
Simple meaning
To practise by recitation or repetition in private for experiment and improvement, before a public representation.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
reehursSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɹiˈhɝs
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
ambitransitive
To practise by recitation or repetition in private for experiment and improvement, prior to a public representation, especially in theater.
transitive
To repeat, as what has been already said; to tell over again; to recite.
transitive
To narrate; to relate; to tell; to recount.
To contrive and carefully prepare (a story, etc.) to offer consistency.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (ambitransitive) To practise by recitation or repetition in private for experiment and improvement, prior to a public representation, especially in theater.
Used this way, rehearse is a reasonably familiar word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A practice session in preparation for a public performance (as of a play or speech or concert).
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.