repeat

IPA/rɪˈpiːt/
KK[rɪpˈit]IPA/rɪˈpiːt/

repeat — verb

  • repeatpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • repeatshe / she / it
  • repeatedpast simple
  • repeating-ing form

1. To say, write, or state something once more after having already communicated it

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

To say, write, or state something once more after having already communicated it — for example, repeating a phone number so the other person can write it down.

Example

Saira asked the teacher to repeat the instructions more slowly.

repeat + noun phrase

The librarian repeated the book's title twice so I could write it down.

Common collocations
  • repeat a question
  • repeat instructions
  • repeat a phrase
  • repeat a statement
Synonyms
  • reiterate

    more formal; used for emphatic restatement

  • restate

    focuses on expressing something again, often in different words

  • echo

    suggests copying someone else's exact words, often without original thought

Antonyms
  • withhold

    to keep information from being said at all

Grammar Patterns

repeat + noun phrase

repeat + that-clause

Usage Note

In informal speech, 'that' can be omitted after 'repeat' when introducing a clause: 'He repeated the exam was on Friday.'

Common Mistakes

Please repeat again the instructions.
Please repeat the instructions.
'Repeat' already includes the idea of 'again,' so adding 'again' is redundant.

2. To do, perform, or carry out something a second time, or for an event to happen

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

To do, perform, or carry out something a second time, or for an event to happen again in a similar way — for example, a scientist repeating an experiment or a dance class repeating a move.

Example

Vinícius repeated the experiment three times to confirm the results.

repeat + noun phrase in a scientific context

The team repeated their winning strategy in the second match.

Common collocations
  • repeat a process
  • repeat an experiment
  • repeat a pattern
  • repeat a success
Synonyms
  • redo

    less formal; often implies correcting a mistake

  • duplicate

    more formal; focuses on creating an exact copy of a result

  • replicate

    scientific or formal; used for reproducing experiments or results

Antonyms
  • stop

    to end an action rather than doing it a second time

Grammar Patterns

repeat + noun phrase

subject + repeat (intransitive)

repeat + reflexive pronoun (itself)

Usage Note

The reflexive pattern 'repeat itself' is common with abstract subjects such as 'history,' 'a pattern,' or 'a cycle.'

Common Mistakes

The teacher repeated the lesson again.
The teacher repeated the lesson.
Adding 'again' is redundant unless emphasis on frustration is intended.

3. To perform a musical passage for a second time — for instance, when a pianist re

3.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

To perform a musical passage for a second time — for instance, when a pianist returns to the opening theme to give the composition a satisfying ending.

Example

The conductor asked the violins to repeat the final phrase.

repeat + musical object

Tunde practised the chorus by repeating it until his fingers remembered the notes.

Common collocations
  • repeat a phrase
  • repeat a theme
  • repeat a chorus
  • repeat a section
Synonyms
  • play again

    less formal; describes the action without the musical term

  • reprise

    formal; used for repeating a theme or section in a composition

Grammar Patterns

repeat + musical noun phrase

Usage Note

In written music, repeats are indicated by repeat signs (a double bar line with two dots) rather than the written word, though 'D.C. al Fine' and 'D.S. al Coda' also instruct repeats.

4. To utter identical words or statements repeatedly, often without being aware of

4.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

To utter identical words or statements repeatedly, often without being aware of it, because of memory lapses, anxiety, or advancing years — for instance, an older family member recounting the same anecdote several times during a single afternoon.

Example

Aunt Saira tends to repeat herself when she gets nervous.

repeat + reflexive pronoun (herself) for habitual behaviour

The elderly professor sometimes repeated himself during lectures, but the students listened politely.

Common collocations
  • keep repeating oneself
  • tend to repeat oneself
  • stop repeating oneself
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

repeat + reflexive pronoun (myself/yourself/himself/etc.)

Usage Note

This is a fixed reflexive expression — 'oneself' changes to match the subject (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves). The pattern cannot be used without the reflexive pronoun.

Common Mistakes

The teacher repeated again in class.
The teacher repeated herself in class.
Without the reflexive pronoun, the sentence is incomplete for this specific meaning.

repeat — noun

repeat — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Repeat' is the most general word — it simply means to say something once more, whether to clarify, emphasise, or practise. 'Reiterate' is more formal and suggests saying something again to reinforce a point, often because the listener did not fully grasp it the first time (e.g., 'Let me reiterate the safety rules before we begin'). 'Restate' also means to say again, but with the added idea of expressing the content differently for clarity (e.g., 'Could you restate your argument in simpler words?'). 'Rephrase' goes a step further — it specifically means expressing the same idea using different vocabulary or sentence structure, usually because the first attempt was unclear. If you simply need someone to hear the exact words again, use 'repeat.' If you want a clearer version of the same idea, use 'restate' or 'rephrase.'

repeat ↗reiteraterestate ↗rephrase

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • repeat after me
  • repeat word for word
  • repeat like a parrot

Prepositions

  • after (repeat after me)
  • to (repeat to yourself)

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'repeat' entered English from Middle French 'repeter,' which came from Latin 'repetere' — a combination of 're-' (again) and 'petere' (to seek, aim at, or attack). Originally, in Latin, 'repetere' meant 'to attack again' or 'to demand something back.' Over time, the sense shifted from physical actions of seeking or attacking to the more abstract idea of doing or saying something again. English adopted it in the 14th century, and by the 1500s, it was already used for both speech ('repeat what I said') and action ('repeat the process').