ENGLISH
REFERENCE

reprise

v.
C2 Proficiency US //ɹɪˈpɹaɪz// reprise Archaic

v. to perform or repeat something again, often in a different way. In music, it means playing a theme or melody that was heard earlier in a piece.

v. to perform or repeat a musical theme or a previous event. In a legal context, it refers to the act of re-opening a case or re-examining evidence.


SIMPLE

The band played a reprise of their most popular song.

CONTEXTUAL

The lawyer requested a reprise of the witness's testimony to clarify the timeline of events.

COMPLEX

The composer uses a reprise of the opening motif to signal the return of the protagonist, creating a sense of cyclical structure that reinforces the narrative's themes of inevitability.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English reprise (noun) and reprisen (verb), from Old French reprise, from reprendre. In some senses borrowed anew from Modern French reprise.

© 2026 English Reference