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replay

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A repeat or later playing of some or all of something which was previously broadcast or performed.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

reeplay

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ɹipˈleɪ

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.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A repeat or subsequent playing of some or all of something which was previously broadcast or performed, or a playing of something which was recorded, such as a live event or a television broadcast, the gameplay of a computer game, etc.

  2. Something (especially a game) that is played again

  3. A (video or audio) recording of an action or event that is or can be replayed after being recorded; saved video footage (which is, or can be, replayed) of the gameplay of a computer game, a (portion of a) televised sports match, etc.

  4. An act or instance of replaying (of playing something, such as a game, again); a replaying of (something).

  5. A repetition of another event, scene, or occurrence; a recurrence or reenactment.

verb

  1. transitive

    To play again.

  2. transitive

    To display a recording of a previous event, especially multiple times.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Varies by meaning

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A repeat or subsequent playing of some or all of something which was previously broadcast or performed, or a playing of something which was recorded, such as a live event or a television broadcast, the gameplay of a computer game, etc.

Used this way, replay is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a computing use: it carries a fixed technical meaning inside software and systems work.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Specialist/technical
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Specialized
Connotation
Clinical and technical
Usage feel
Technical and specialized

Where it naturally appears

  • Technology
  • Technical/specialist writing
  • Business/professional
  • News/reporting

Usage note

In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.

Nearby words

  • rematch , rarer, so it draws attention

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.

Repeat / game

instant replayvideo replay

Other combinations

replay attackaction replaymotion replayreplay protectionreplay headreplay button

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • action replaynounCompound term

    The immediate rebroadcast of some action (especially sports action) that has been recorded on videotape.

  • instant replaynounCompound term

    The immediate rebroadcast of some action (especially sports action) that has been recorded on videotape.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: repeat or subsequent playing of some

rematchRare

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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.