dress rehearsal

noun

Synonyms of dress rehearsalnext
1
: a full rehearsal (as of a play) in costume and with stage properties shortly before the first performance
2
: a practice exercise for something to come : dry run

Examples of dress rehearsal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Dara performing during a dress rehearsal in Vienna on Saturday. Andrew Jones, NBC news, 16 May 2026 Inter had beaten Lazio 3-0 on Saturday in Serie A in a dress rehearsal for Wednesday’s cup final in the same stadium in Rome. ABC News, 13 May 2026 Imperfect dress rehearsals for the Le Mans heavyweights Toyota and Ferrari have together won the last eight runnings of the 24 Hours of Le Mans between them. Luke Smith, New York Times, 9 May 2026 The most important test was a wet dress rehearsal (WDR), a two-day-long practice run of the procedures leading up to launch. Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 8 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for dress rehearsal

Word History

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dress rehearsal was in 1812

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Cite this Entry

“Dress rehearsal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dress%20rehearsal. Accessed 22 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

dress rehearsal

noun
: a rehearsal of a play in costume and with stage properties shortly before the first performance

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