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iterate

/ˌɪdəˈreɪt/

Other forms: iterated; iterating; iterates

To iterate is to repeat, as in to say or perform something again. If you loved the high school drama club’s performance of the “Three Little Pigs,” encourage them to iterate the musical so you can see it again. And again.

Iterate comes from the Latin word iterare for "do again, repeat.” Iterate is a transitive verb, so you have to iterate something. A successful play or concert will usually iterate a performance, so more people can see it. People often iterate a point, by repeating, they hope others will understand it better. Politicians often iterate key points. The word reiterate is more familiar, and means something very similar — to repeat something for emphasis.

Definitions of iterate
  1. verb
    say, state, or perform again
    synonyms: ingeminate, reiterate, repeat, restate, retell
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    types:
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    perseverate
    psychology: repeat a response after the cessation of the original stimulus
    ditto
    repeat an action or statement
    dwell, harp
    come back to
    interpret, render, translate
    restate (words) from one language into another language
    paraphrase, rephrase, reword
    express the same message in different words
    resume, sum up, summarise, summarize
    give a summary (of)
    cite, quote
    repeat a passage from
    retranslate
    translate again
    mistranslate
    translate incorrectly
    gloss
    provide an interlinear translation of a word or phrase
    Latinize
    translate into Latin
    translate
    express, as in simple and less technical language
    abstract
    give an abstract (of)
    precis
    make a summary (of)
    docket
    make a summary or abstract of a legal document and inscribe it in a list
    recap, recapitulate
    summarize briefly
    misquote
    quote incorrectly
    type of:
    tell
    let something be known
  2. verb
    run or be performed again
    “the function iterates
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    type of:
    recur, repeat
    happen or occur again
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘iterate'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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