rehearse

rehearse — verb

1. To run through all the parts of a show, concert, or speech in advance with the p

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

To run through all the parts of a show, concert, or speech in advance with the people involved, making sure the timing, movements, and delivery are ready for an audience to watch.

Example

The drama club rehearsed the final scene every evening for two weeks.

rehearse + noun phrase (the final scene)

Rohan spent three hours rehearsing his piano piece before the concert.

rehearse + possessive + noun phrase

Common collocations
  • rehearse a play
  • rehearse a scene
  • rehearse for a show
  • rehearse lines
  • rehearse a speech
Synonyms
  • practise

    broader; used for any skill (sports, language, music), not just performances

  • run through

    informal; means to go from start to finish without full staging

  • prepare

    most general; includes mental and physical readiness for any event

Antonyms
  • improvise

    perform without preparation or rehearsal

Grammar Patterns

rehearse + noun phrase

rehearse for + event

rehearse + noun phrase + before + noun phrase

Usage Note

Often used intransitively: 'The band is rehearsing for the tour.' The subject is typically a performer, musician, actor, dancer, or a group of them. The object is a scene, song, piece, dance, speech, or any part of a performance.

Common Mistakes

I rehearsed for my exam all weekend.
I revised for my exam all weekend.
'rehearse' is for performances, not academic study.
She rehearsed the recipe before cooking.
She practised the recipe before cooking.
'rehearse' implies a group performance setting, not private skill-building.

2. To repeat a story, a list of reasons, or a set of facts in full, often because y

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

To repeat a story, a list of reasons, or a set of facts in full, often because you want to make sure you have covered everything or you are trying to convince someone.

Example

At the meeting, Hoa rehearsed all the arguments against the new policy one by one.

rehearse + noun phrase (all the arguments)

The witness rehearsed the same account of the accident to every reporter who asked.

rehearse + account + to + person

Common collocations
  • rehearse an argument
  • rehearse a story
  • rehearse reasons
  • rehearse a list
  • rehearse an account
Synonyms
  • recount

    neutral; simply tells the facts without implying repetition

  • recite

    often for memorised text; more formal and precise

  • enumerate

    suggests listing items one by one; more technical

Antonyms
  • omit

    leave out details rather than including them all

  • summarise

    give only the main points rather than full detail

Grammar Patterns

rehearse + noun phrase

rehearse + noun phrase + to + person

Usage Note

The subject is always someone recounting information; the object is an account, story, argument, list, or set of details. Carries a more formal tone than 'repeat' or 'tell' and often suggests the speaker has said the same thing before.

Common Mistakes

She rehearsed the secret to her best friend.
She told the secret to her best friend.
'rehearse' means going over known material, not revealing something new.
He rehearsed the answer to the math problem.
He explained the answer to the math problem.
'rehearse' does not suit explaining a solution for the first time.

Word family

  • rehearsal
    nounB2
  • rehearsed
    adjectiveC1
  • unrehearsed
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Rehearse and practise both involve repetition, but rehearse is tied to a specific performance — a play, concert, or speech — and usually involves the full group running through the entire piece. Practise is broader: you practise piano scales alone, a golf swing, or a foreign language. Run through is an informal phrasal verb meaning to do an uninterrupted, often quick rehearsal from start to finish without full staging or costumes. Prepare is the most general — you prepare for a meeting by reading notes, not necessarily by performing aloud. Go over suggests mentally reviewing points rather than physically acting them out. Example: 'The cast rehearsed the second act three times. After that, they ran through the whole play once. Later, each actor went over their difficult lines at home.'

practise ↗run through ↗prepare ↗go over ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • rehearse for a show
  • rehearse in one's head
  • rehearse with the full cast

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchAnglo-NormanEnglish

Rehearse comes from the Old French word rehercier, which literally meant 'to harrow a field again' — a harrow being a farming tool that breaks up soil. The idea of going over the ground a second time gave the word its modern sense of going over a performance or a story repeatedly. It entered English in the Middle Ages and gradually moved from farming to theatrical use.