2 VERB If you repeat something that someone else has said or written, you say or write the same thing, or tell it to another person. □ [V n] She had an irritating habit of repeating everything I said to her. □ [V n + to ] I trust you not to repeat that to anyone else. □ [V + after ] Repeat after me: 'Tomorrow is just another day.'
3 VERB If you repeat yourself , you say something which you have said before, usually by mistake. □ [V pron-refl] Then he started rambling and repeating himself.
4 VERB If you repeat an action, you do it again. □ [V n] The next day I repeated the procedure. □ [V ] Hold this position for 30 seconds, release and repeat on the other side.
5 VERB If an event or series of events repeats itself , it happens again. □ [V pron-refl] The U.N. will have to work hard to stop history repeating itself. [Also V ]
6 N‑COUNT [usu sing] If there is a repeat of an event, usually an undesirable event, it happens again. □ [+ of ] There were fears that there might be a repeat of last year's campaign of strikes.
7 ADJ [ADJ n] If a company gets repeat business or repeat customers, people who have bought their goods or services before buy them again. [BUSINESS ] □ Nearly 60% of our bookings come from repeat business and personal recommendation.
8 N‑COUNT A repeat is a television or radio programme that has been broadcast before. [BRIT ] □ There's nothing except sport and repeats on TV. in AM, use re-run
9 PHRASE If there is a repeat performance of something, usually something undesirable, it happens again. □ This year can only see a repeat performance of the decline. SYNONYMS repeat VERB 1
reiterate: He reiterated his opposition to the creation of a central bank.
restate: He continued throughout to restate his opposition to violence.
recapitulate: Let's just recapitulate the essential points.
re|peat|ed /r I piː t I d/ ADJ [ADJ n] Repeated actions or events are ones which happen many times. □ He did not return the money, despite repeated reminders.
re|peat|ed|ly /r I piː t I dli/ ADV [ADV with v] If you do something repeatedly , you do it many times. □ Both men have repeatedly denied the allegations.
re|pea t of|fe nd|er (repeat offenders ) N‑COUNT A repeat offender is someone who commits the same sort of crime more than once.
re|pea t pre|scri p|tion (repeat prescriptions ) N‑COUNT A repeat prescription is a prescription for a medicine that you have taken before or that you use regularly. [BRIT ]
re|pel /r I pe l/ (repels , repelling , repelled )
1 VERB When an army repels an attack, they successfully fight and drive back soldiers from another army who have attacked them. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] They have fifty thousand troops along the border ready to repel any attack.
2 VERB When a magnetic pole repels another magnetic pole, it gives out a force that pushes the other pole away. You can also say that two magnetic poles repel each other or that they repel . [TECHNICAL ] □ [V ] Like poles repel, unlike poles attract. □ [V n] As these electrons are negatively charged they will attempt to repel each other.
3 VERB [no cont] If something repels you, you find it horrible and disgusting. □ [V n] …a violent excitement that frightened and repelled her. ● re|pelled ADJ □ She was very striking but in some way I felt repelled.
re|pel|lant /r I pe lənt/ → see repellent
re|pel|lent /r I pe lənt/ (repellents ) The spelling repellant is also used for meaning 2 . 1 ADJ If you think that something is horrible and disgusting you can say that it is repellent . [FORMAL ] □ …a very large, very repellent toad.
2 N‑VAR [usu n N ] Insect repellent is a product containing chemicals that you spray into the air or on your body in order to keep insects away. □ …mosquito repellent.
re|pent /r I pe nt/ (repents , repenting , repented ) VERB If you repent , you show or say that you are sorry for something wrong you have done. □ [V ] Those who refuse to repent, he said, will be punished. □ [V + of/for ] Did he repent of anything in his life? [Also V n]
re|pent|ance /r I pe ntəns/ N‑UNCOUNT If you show repentance for something wrong that you have done, you make it clear that you are sorry for doing it. □ They showed no repentance during their trial.
re|pent|ant /r I pe ntənt/ ADJ Someone who is repentant shows or says that they are sorry for something wrong they have done. □ He was feeling guilty and depressed, repentant and scared.
re|per|cus|sion /riː pə r kʌ ʃ ə n/ (repercussions ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] If an action or event has repercussions , it causes unpleasant things to happen some time after the original action or event. [FORMAL ] □ It was an effort which was to have painful repercussions.
rep|er|toire /re pə r twɑː r / (repertoires )
1 N‑COUNT [usu sing] A performer's repertoire is all the plays or pieces of music that he or she has learned and can perform. □ Meredith D'Ambrosio has thousands of songs in her repertoire.
2 N‑SING The repertoire of a person or thing is all the things of a particular kind that the person or thing is capable of doing. □ [+ of ] …Mike's impressive repertoire of funny stories.