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Showing results for dress rehearsal. Search instead for dress+rehearsal.
Synonyms

dress rehearsal

American  

noun

  1. a rehearsal of a play or other performance in costume and with scenery, properties, and lights arranged and operated as for a performance: often the final rehearsal.

dress rehearsal British  

noun

  1. the last complete rehearsal of a play or other work, using costumes, scenery, lighting, etc, as for the first night

  2. any full-scale practice

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of dress rehearsal

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Mission managers said they are analyzing the data collected and making necessary repairs ahead of plans to run another dress rehearsal.

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

The group A game between Canada and the USA is widely expected to be a dress rehearsal for next week's gold medal match given their dominance over the rest of the world.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

Over the next several days, engineers and technicians will focus on readying Artemis II for a wet dress rehearsal.

From Science Daily • Jan. 19, 2026

Recognized for their hypnotic choreography, playful lyricism and fervent energy, the “Gnarly” singers went all out for dress rehearsal — involving an army of backup dancers and repeated blasts of confetti.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

I got through the whole dress rehearsal playing Ariel the Fairy while wearing bright yellow tights with white feathers on the...well,

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.