rep

R1E1P3
UK/ɹɛp/

verb

To represent; to act as a representative for.

“Holonym: sets”

Similar
CommonFirst used 19th c.Scrabble 5

Meanings

rep1

nounrep (countable and uncountable, plural reps)

plural reps

  1. abbreviationclippingcountableinformaluncountableClipping of reputation.

    Try not to make it easy for the tabloids to ruin your rep.

    2 more examples

    Clean up your rep, your story's gettin' dusty / Wash out your mouth, your lies are gettin' rusty

    1970, “Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter”, in Alline Bullock (lyrics), Workin’ Together, performed by Ike & Tina Turner

    Remember. I got a rep to protect, OK, Shakespeare?

    1982, Ken Finkleman, Grease 2, spoken by Johnny Nogerelli (Adrian Zmed)
  2. abbreviationclippingcountablehobbiesClipping of repetition.

    Holonym: sets

    2 more examples

    I get a better bicep workout if I use less weight and more reps.

    Turkish getup: This multistep move is a favorite among modern trainers for teaching body awareness. Aidala holds the world record for a single rep at 260 pounds.

    2026, Greg Presto, “Timeless Gains”, in Men's Health, volume 41, number 2, page 15
  3. abbreviationclippingcountableinformaluncountableClipping of representative.

    John Doe is a member of the House of Reps.

    2 more examples

    When I requested tickets for Nassau, my rep just put me on hold.

    An upcoming problem to be thrashed out at a meeting of diskery reps and execs of the American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA), is the degree of AFRA's jurisdictional claim over singers on records.

    1950 October 28, “Diskers, AFRA Puzzle Singer Jurisdictions”, in Billboard, page 13
  4. abbreviationclippingcountableinformaluncountableClipping of representation.

    But for those looking for movies that have pronounced and meaningful queer rep, it might be best to shift focus over to smaller Summer 2022 titles like Neptune Frost, which deliver vibrant and righteous queer energy in every frame.

    2022 August 6, Douglas Laman, “How Did Summer 2022 Become the Summer of Blink-and-You-Miss-'Em Queers?”, in Collider, archived from the original on 29 Sep 2022
    1 more example

    This was the first episode of Degrassi I saw, and it was a formative episode. Why, might you ask? Not only because in 2003, there, again, wasn't much gay rep, but because of this interaction at the end of the episode that I stumbled upon, […]

    2022 February, Kosoko Jackson, “Please, Sir, Can I Have Some More: How Bread Crumbs of Queer Characters in Entertainment Helped Me Establish My Own Sense of Self”, in Jessica P. Pryde, editor, Black Love Matters: Real Talk on Romance, Being Seen, and Happily Ever Afters, New York, NY: Berkley, →ISBN, pages 144–145
  5. abbreviationclippingcountableuncountableentertainmentClipping of repertory.

    She did her time in reps before she made the grade in West End theatre.

  6. abbreviationclippingcountablein compoundsuncountablegovernmentClipping of report.

    […] and Henry Riser is still waiting for official casualty reps and family info on Doug Wheless.

    1993, United States Military Academy. Association of Graduates, Assembly, volumes 52, issues 1-3, page 149
    1 more example

    A shell report, or "shell rep," was supposed to be sent in by any man who witnessed the fall of enemy artillery fire.

    1996, Don Congdon, Combat World War II, volume 1, page 531
  7. abbreviationclippingcountableslanguncountablefashionClipping of replica.

    rep sneakers

    2 more examples

    Overall, David is cagey when talking about reps, like someone might be while talking about an ex. That's understandable. But I wonder if Soulsfeng will ever reach the notoriety that David the rep seller did.

    2018 October 1, Alice Hines, “Meeting David, the God of Counterfeit Sneakers”, in Highsnobiety, archived from the original on 17 Mar 2024

    The forum is a democratised, judgement-free zone in which people share a love of high quality replicas or 'reps', where members are friendly and even supportive. They help one another to find the best sellers and sites to buy from, while discussing discrepancies between retail items and their counterfeit counterparts – from stitching and logos, to details and finishes.

    2020 January 16, Kish Lal, “Why this community of streetwear fanatics only buy fakes”, in Dazed, London: Dazed Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 04 Oct 2023
verbrep (third-person singular simple present reps, present participle repping, simple past and past participle repped)

present singular third person reps · participle present repping · participle past repped · past repped

  1. ambitransitiveinformalTo represent; to act as a representative for.

    Bentley, the man who repped for Slade, carried the air and the rest joined in.

    1922, Hal G. Evarts, The Settling of the Sage
    1 more example

    He left to help the Reader set up its national advertising arm, went back to Rolling Stone for five years, repped other magazines, and finally set up his own company, which currently scouts ads for the Atlantic, Spin, Discover, and a publication called Disney Adventures.

    1994 November 4, Bill Wyman, “Evanston's New Music Hall/Veruca Salt Grow Up/Schmitsville”, in Chicago Reader
  2. informalTo display as a representative example.

    As for her beauty look, the Jennifer’s Body star had dyed her long tresses a burnt-orange shade, and styled them slightly curled at the ends and down across her shoulders. She also repped a bubblegum-pink manicure with an abstract black design.

    2023 May 19, Chelsey Sanchez, “Megan Fox Makes Her Red-Carpet Comeback in a Body-Sculpting Sheer Gown”, in Harper's Bazaar
    1 more example

    Last year, Olivia famously went full-2000s at a Grammys after-party she attended with Paris Hilton, where she repped a bright blue butterfly dress featuring a plunging neckline and dramatic ruffles. Now, for her latest look, she's gone and repped another recognisable combination: silk trousers and a leather boob tube.

    2023 March 3, Natasha Harding, “Olivia Rodrigo's leather boob tube will transport you back to 2001”, in Cosmopolitan
  3. abbreviationcrochetbusinessAbbreviation of repeat.

    Rep from * to * 6 times. Fasten off.

    2011 August 23, Carmen Heffernan, “How to make colourful crocheted flowers”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 24 Dec 2023
    1 more example

    Rep neck dec EOR 4 times more, AND AT THE SAME TIME, rep armhole dec EOR 4 (4,5) times more

    2011, Hannah Fettig, Closely Knit: Handmade Gifts For The Ones You Love, page 44
  4. transitivehobbiesTo lift for multiple reps.

rep2

nounrep (countable and uncountable, plural reps)

plural reps · alternative repp

  1. countableuncountablebusinessA fabric made of silk or wool, or of silk and wool, and having a transversely corded or ribbed surface.First known use 19th c.

    It was decorated in […] horsehair and red rep curtains[.]

    1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 60
    2 more examples

    Underfoot is a rich brown marble from the shores of Lake Champlain. The wainscoting is of green rep and red Numidian marble.

    1923, Theodore Dreiser, The Color of a Great City, New York: Boni & Liveright

    I toted a (rather fetching) $100 Gucci 1955 Horsebit rep through a vacation across Europe […]

    2023 May 4, Amy X. Wang, Grant Cornett, “Inside the Delirious Rise of ‘Superfake’ Handbags”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

Rep3

nounRep (plural Reps)

plural Reps

  1. abbreviationclippingClipping of Republican.

REP4

proper noun
  1. USabbreviationgovernmentAbbreviation of Republican Party.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna fabric with prominent rounded crosswise ribs

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

rep · noun, verb

Clippings of various words beginning with rep.

Full word history & related roots →

rep · noun

Back-formation from reps, misinterpreted as a plural.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian рипс
  • рипс (rips)a type of fabric
Finnish ripsi
  • ripsia type of fabric
French reps
  • repsa type of fabric
Russian репс
  • репс (reps)a type of fabric

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with rep

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

rep. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rep

MLA

“rep.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rep. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rep,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rep.

Source: rep on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.