rehearse

Etymology

From Middle English rehersen, from Anglo-Norman reherser (“to repeat word-for-word”).

verb

1. (transitive) To repeat, as what has been already said; to tell over again; to recite.
   There’s no need to rehearse the same old argument; we’ve heard it before, and we all agree.
2. (transitive) To narrate; to relate; to tell.
   The witness rehearsed the events of the night before for the listening detectives.
3. (transitive, intransitive) To practise by recitation or repetition in private for experiment and improvement, prior to a public representation, especially in theater
   The main actors spent on average two hours a day rehearsing before the first night.
   The lawyer advised her client to rehearse her testimony before the trial date.
   In sober mornings, do not thou reherse The holy incantation of a verse ... 1648, Robert Herrick, “When he would have his verses read”, in Hesperides
4. (transitive, theater) To cause to rehearse; to instruct by rehearsal.
   The director rehearsed the cast incessantly in the days leading up to opening night, and as a result they were tired and cranky when it arrived.
   It was plain that he'd been rehearsed a lot, but he wasn't letter-perfect by any manner of means. 11 March 1916, Charles E. Van Loan, “His Folks”, in Saturday Evening Post
5. To contrive and carefully prepare (a story, etc.) to offer consistency.
   The Crown argued that the accused had rehearsed her story.