Meanings
plural rehearsals
- countableuncountableThe practising of something which is to be performed before an audience, usually to test or improve the interaction between several participating people, or to allow technical adjustments with respect to staging to be done.
1 more example
After modifications had been effected by the builders, a rehearsal of electric operation was held on September 17. A complete day's timetable was run through and apparently all went well, except for insulator trouble with the overhead wires near Anniesland; a further rehearsal was held on the following Sunday.
1961 November, “Talking of Trains: "Blue trains" run again”, in Trains Illustrated, page 644 - countableuncountableA preparatory activity analogous to a rehearsal (sense 1).
The forest fires are just a rehearsal for the devastation that will be caused if climate change continues to worsen.
- countableuncountableThe act of rehearsing or contriving something; the fact of something's being rehearsed.
The prosecution argued that the defendant's exact repetition of his account of the events several times demonstrated the rehearsal of his story.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna practice session in preparation for a public performance (as of a play or speech or concert)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Frenchrehercel
- Middle Englishrehercel
- Englishrehearsal
From Middle English rehercel, rehersail, rehersall, from rehersen and apparently partly Middle French rehercel. By surface analysis, rehearse + -al.
More words from Middle English, Middle French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἄσκησις, δοκιμή
- ἄσκησις (áskēsis)practicing of performance to test or improve it
- δοκιμή (dokimḗ)practicing of performance to test or improve it
- ἐξάσκησις (exáskēsis)practicing of performance to test or improve it
Arabic بَرُوفَة
- بَرُوفَة (barūfa)practicing of performance to test or improve it
Bulgarian репети́ция
- репети́ция (repetícija)practicing of performance to test or improve it
Catalan repetició, assaig
- repeticiópracticing of performance to test or improve it
- assaigpracticing of performance to test or improve it
Chinese Mandarin 排練 /排练, 預演 /预演
- 排練 /排练 (páiliàn)practicing of performance to test or improve it
- 預演 /预演 (yùyǎn)practicing of performance to test or improve it
Czech zkouška
- zkouškapracticing of performance to test or improve it
Danish prøve
- prøvepracticing of performance to test or improve it
Dutch repetitie
- repetitiepracticing of performance to test or improve it
Estonian proov
- proovpracticing of performance to test or improve it
Finnish harjoitus
- harjoituspracticing of performance to test or improve it
French répétition
- répétitionpracticing of performance to test or improve it
German Probe, Übstunde
- Probepracticing of performance to test or improve it
- Übstundepracticing of performance to test or improve it
Greek άσκηση, δοκιμή
- άσκηση (áskisi)practicing of performance to test or improve it
- δοκιμή (dokimí)practicing of performance to test or improve it
- εξάσκηση (exáskisi)practicing of performance to test or improve it
- πρόβα (próva)practicing of performance to test or improve it
Hebrew חֲזָרָה, תִּרְגּוּל
- חֲזָרָה (khazará)practicing of performance to test or improve it
- תִּרְגּוּלpracticing of performance to test or improve it
Hungarian próba
- próbapracticing of performance to test or improve it
Indonesian gladi
- gladipracticing of performance to test or improve it
Italian prova
- provapracticing of performance to test or improve it
Japanese リハーサル, リハ
- リハーサル (rihāsaru)practicing of performance to test or improve it
- リハ (riha)practicing of performance to test or improve it
- 予行演習 (yokō enshū)practicing of performance to test or improve it
- 予行 (yokō)practicing of performance to test or improve it
Korean 리허설, 예행연습
- 리허설 (riheoseol)practicing of performance to test or improve it
- 예행연습 (yehaeng'yeonseup)practicing of performance to test or improve it
- 예행 (yehaeng)practicing of performance to test or improve it
Latvian mēģinājums, repetīcija
- mēģinājumspracticing of performance to test or improve it
- repetīcijapracticing of performance to test or improve it
Lithuanian repeticija
- repeticijapracticing of performance to test or improve it
Malay raptai
- raptaipracticing of performance to test or improve it
Norwegian Bokmål prøve, øvelse
- prøvepracticing of performance to test or improve it
- øvelsepracticing of performance to test or improve it
- øvingpracticing of performance to test or improve it
Polish próba
- próbapracticing of performance to test or improve it
Portuguese ensaio
- ensaiopracticing of performance to test or improve it
Romanian repetiție
- repetițiepracticing of performance to test or improve it
Russian репети́ция
- репети́ция (repetícija)practicing of performance to test or improve it
Slovak skúška
- skúškapracticing of performance to test or improve it
Spanish ensayo, emprimado
- ensayopracticing of performance to test or improve it
- emprimadopracticing of performance to test or improve it
- ensayepracticing of performance to test or improve it
Swedish repetition
- repetitionpracticing of performance to test or improve it
Tamil ஒத்திகை
- ஒத்திகை (ottikai)practicing of performance to test or improve it
Turkish prova, deneme
- provapracticing of performance to test or improve it
- denemepracticing of performance to test or improve it
Ukrainian репети́ція
- репети́ція (repetýcija)practicing of performance to test or improve it
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with rehearsal
All rhymes →Cite this entry
rehearsal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rehearsal
“rehearsal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rehearsal. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rehearsal,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rehearsal.
Source: rehearsal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.