again
again — adverb
1. If you do something again, you do the same action a second time, or another time
If you do something again, you do the same action a second time, or another time after the first.
Dilnoza read the bedtime story to her son again before turning off the light.
verb + again: repeating an action
Could you say your phone number again? I didn't write it down.
polite request to repeat
Citlali pressed the doorbell again because nobody had answered the first time.
The cake was so good that Una ordered the same one again the next day.
Try the door again; sometimes it sticks the first time you push it.
imperative + again
- say it again
- try again
- see you again
- do it again
- once more
interchangeable but slightly more formal
- anew
literary; suggests a fresh start
- another time
stresses the repetition is on a different occasion
Grammar Patterns
verb + again
Usage Note
Usually placed at the end of the clause. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense focuses on a repeated action, not on returning to a previous place or state.
Common Mistakes
2. Returning to the place, position, or condition that someone or something was in
Returning to the place, position, or condition that someone or something was in before.
After three weeks of fever, Grandma finally feels well again.
be + adjective + again: return to a state
Omar washed the muddy shoes until they looked white again.
The cat ran out the door, but ten minutes later it was back home again.
back + again: return to a place
Please put the books on the shelf again when you finish reading them.
After the long winter, the garden was full of flowers again.
- well again
- back home again
- together again
- open again
Grammar Patterns
be + adjective + again
verb of motion + again
Usage Note
Often pairs with 'back' (back home again, back together again) to emphasise the return. Distinguish from sense 1: here the focus is on restoration to a previous state, not on doing an action one more time.
Common Mistakes
3. In the phrase 'once again', used to point out that something has now happened on
In the phrase 'once again', used to point out that something has now happened on top of several earlier times it happened.
Once again, the morning train from Taipei arrived twenty minutes late.
once again at clause start: pattern continues
The team lost to their rivals once again, making it four defeats this season.
Mr. Chen had to apologise to the customer once again about the missing parcel.
Once again, heavy rain forced the school sports day to be cancelled.
The mayor promised, once again, that the new bridge would open before summer.
- once again confirms
- once again proved
- once again, the team
Grammar Patterns
once again + clause
Usage Note
Almost always appears as the fixed phrase 'once again' at the start of a clause or after a comma. Carries a slight tone of 'as we have seen before'.
Common Mistakes
4. Used after a bad experience in the phrase 'never again' to make clear you have d
Used after a bad experience in the phrase 'never again' to make clear you have decided not to repeat that experience.
Camping in the rain for five days? Never again!
exclamation 'Never again!' after a bad experience
Una swore she would never again lend money to her cousin Daniel.
never again + bare infinitive
After the food poisoning, Citlali said he would never again eat at that night market.
We waited four hours in the heat for the concert. Never again.
The driver promised himself he would never again drive home so tired.
- never again will I
- swore never again
- Never again!
- no more
more literary; less common in speech
- always
opposite intent: continuing rather than stopping
Grammar Patterns
never again + clause
exclamation: Never again!
Usage Note
Often stands alone as a short, emphatic exclamation reacting to something just described. When inside a sentence, 'never' goes before the verb and 'again' usually follows it.
Common Mistakes
5. In the phrase 'yet again', used to express irritation or surprise that an event
In the phrase 'yet again', used to express irritation or surprise that an event with a long earlier track record is repeating once more.
Yet again, my brother forgot to take out the rubbish on Tuesday morning.
yet again at clause start: speaker shows annoyance
The printer has broken down yet again, and we have a deadline tomorrow.
Yet again, the new manager changed the seating plan without asking the team.
Sara had to explain the password to her grandfather yet again over the phone.
The ferry to Penghu was cancelled yet again because of the strong winds.
- yet again, the
- broke down yet again
- yet again proved
- once again
less emotional; doesn't always imply frustration
- for the umpteenth time
informal and even more frustrated
Grammar Patterns
yet again + clause
Usage Note
Stronger than 'once again' (sense 3): 'yet again' carries clear emotion — usually frustration. Distinguish from sense 3, which is more neutral.
Common Mistakes
6. In phrases such as 'again and again' or 'time and again', used to mean that some
In phrases such as 'again and again' or 'time and again', used to mean that something is done many times in a row.
The toddler watched the same cartoon again and again all afternoon.
phrase: again and again — many repetitions
Coach Wu told the players again and again to keep their eyes on the ball.
Time and again, the old engineer warned that the bridge needed urgent repairs.
phrase: time and again — repeated warnings
Una knocked again and again, but no one came to open the door.
The waves crashed against the rocks again and again throughout the night.
- again and again
- time and again
- told again and again
- repeatedly
more formal; single word
- over and over
everyday spoken equivalent
- once
the opposite extreme: only one time
Grammar Patterns
again and again
time and again
Usage Note
Almost always part of a fixed pair: 'again and again' or the more literary 'time and again'. A bare 'again' on its own does not carry this 'many repetitions' meaning.
Common Mistakes
7. In the phrase 'all over again', meaning that you go back to the very beginning o
In the phrase 'all over again', meaning that you go back to the very beginning of a task and repeat the whole thing from the start.
When the laptop crashed, Sara had to type her whole essay all over again.
all over again: redo a task from scratch
After the sauce burned, the chef started cooking dinner all over again.
If you delete this file, we will have to do the calculations all over again.
The painter wasn't happy with the colour, so he painted the wall all over again.
The teacher made the children line up all over again because the row was crooked.
- start all over again
- do it all over again
- begin all over again
- from scratch
stresses building or making from nothing
- from the beginning
neutral; less idiomatic
Grammar Patterns
all over again
Usage Note
'All over again' stresses that NONE of the previous work counts — every step must be done from the beginning. Distinguish from sense 1 ('again' alone), which only means 'one more time' and does not imply restarting from zero.
Common Mistakes
8. Used after expressions like 'as much', 'as many', or 'half as much' to mean an e
Used after expressions like 'as much', 'as many', or 'half as much' to mean an extra amount equal to the one already mentioned.
The new house cost half as much again as the old one — about fifty percent more.
half as much again: 50% extra of the stated amount
Lin invited twenty guests, then as many again from her husband's office.
as many again: an equal extra number
The reservoir was full, and the heavy rain added half as much again overnight.
We made twelve sandwiches, then as much again because more children turned up.
The factory produced a thousand units in May and half as many again in June.
- as much again
- as many again
- half as much again
- in addition
more general; works in many contexts where 'again' would not
- on top of that
spoken; less precise about the quantity
Grammar Patterns
as much/many again
half as much/many again
Usage Note
Only appears in fixed quantity patterns: 'as much/many again' (= 100% more) and 'half as much/many again' (= 50% more). Subject is usually a measurable amount (money, people, items).
Common Mistakes
From time to time, but not regularly or often.
Every now and again, Grandpa takes the children fishing at the small lake.
I still hear from my old roommate now and again, usually around the holidays.
(the) same again
idiomUsed to ask for another serving of exactly the drink or dish you had just before.
Sara put her empty glass on the bar and said, 'Same again, please.'
The waiter pointed at our coffees and asked if we wanted the same again.
On many separate occasions; over and over.
Time and time again, the doctor warned Mr. Lin that he needed to cut down on salt.
History shows time and again that ignoring small problems leads to big ones.
Used to introduce a thought that goes against, or balances, what you have just said.
I would love to move to Tokyo. Then again, I would miss my family in Tainan.
The job pays well; then again, the hours are very long.
Something that happens sometimes, but not often or regularly.
Every now and then, Maya visits her grandmother in the countryside.
Do you still play the piano now and again?
Something that happens many times, often repeatedly.
Time after time, the experiment failed due to a simple mistake.
Brian has told us time and again not to touch his tools.
Word family
- againstprepositionA2
Synonym discussion
Sense: adverb/1
All four signal that an action is repeated, but the feel differs. 'Again' is the everyday neutral choice and fits any register, from a child's 'Read it again!' to a news headline. 'Once more' is slightly more formal and is the natural pick in speeches, polite requests, or dramatic moments — 'Could you say that once more, please?' 'Anew' is literary and uncommon in conversation; it suggests starting fresh with new energy, as in 'They began their journey anew', and would sound odd asking a friend to repeat a phone number. 'Another time' shifts the meaning slightly: instead of doing the same action right now, it points to a different occasion — 'Let's meet another time' means not today. Quick test: if you can swap in 'one more time' without changing the meaning, 'again' is right; if you mean a different occasion, choose 'another time'.
Common collocations
Adverbs
- never again
- yet again
- once again
- ever again
Phrases
- again and again
- all over again
- now and again
- time and again
- the same again
Etymology
'Again' goes back to Old English 'ongean' or 'ongegn', a compound built from 'on' (in the direction of) and 'gegn' (against, opposite, towards). The original sense was 'in the opposite direction' or 'back', which still survives in sense 2 ('back to the original place or state'). Over the Middle English period the spelling shifted toward 'again' and the meaning broadened to cover repetition in general — doing something one more time. The Old English root is shared with German 'gegen' (against) and Dutch 'tegen', which is why the early flavour of 'again' was directional rather than about repetition.