again

Syllables: a·gain/əˈɡɛn//əˈɡɛn/

again adverb: another time: indicating a repeat of an action.

Adverb

again (not comparable)

Another time: indicating a repeat of an action.
- I enjoyed it so much I went again the next day.
- He tangled in tree-tops again and again / And barely missed hitting a tri-motored plane.1931, Robert L. May, Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Montgomery Ward (publisher), draft
Back (to a former place or state).
- We need to bring the old customs to life again.
- The South will rise again.
Over and above a factor of one.
- This stick is quite long, but that other one is half as long again.
- Cirri l-lxxx, 15, about 12mm. long; first two joints short, about twice as broad as long; third about one-third again [=one and one-third times] as long as broad; fourth and fifth the longest, about half again [=one and a half times] as long as broad;[…].1908 December 10, Austin H. Clark, “New Genera and Species of Crinoids”, in Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, volume XXI, pages 229–230
Used metalinguistically, with the repetition being in the discussion, or in the linguistic or pragmatic context of the discussion, rather than in the subject of discussion.
- Great, thanks again!
1. Tell me again, say again; used in asking a question to which one may have already received an answer that one cannot remember.
  - What's that called again?
2. I ask again, I say again; used in repeating a question or statement.
  - Again, I'm not criticizing, I just want to understand.
3. Here too, here also, in this case as well; used in applying a previously made point to a new instance; sometimes preceded by "here".
  - Approach B is better than approach A in many respects, but again, there are difficulties in implementing it.
  - A great bargain also had been the excellent Axminster carpet which covered the floor; as, again, the arm-chair in which Bunting now sat forward, staring into the dull, small fire.1913, Mrs. [Marie] Belloc Lowndes, chapter I, in The Lodger, London: Methuen, →OCLC; republished in Novels of Mystery: The Lodger; The Story of Ivy; What Really Happened, New York, N.Y.: Longmans...
(obsolete) Back in the reverse direction, or to an original starting point.
- Bring us word again.
- And after they were warned in ther slepe, that they shulde not go ageyne to Herod, they retourned into ther awne countre another way.1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Matthew ij
(obsolete) In return, as a reciprocal action; back.
- So women are never angrie, but to the end a man should againe be angrie with them, therein imitating the lawes of Love.1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 31, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC
- Thus men are plagued with women, they again with men, when they are of diverse humours and conditions[…].1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition I, section...
(obsolete) In any other place.
- There is not, in the world again, such a spring and seminary of brave military people as in England, Scotland, and Ireland.a. 1627 (date written), Francis [Bacon], “Considerations Touching a Warre with Spaine. […]”, in William Rawley, editor, Certaine Miscellany Works of the Right Honourable Francis Lo. Verulam, Viscount...
(obsolete) On the other hand.
- The one is my sovereign[…]the other again is my kinsman.1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to...
Moreover; besides; further.
- Again, it is of great consequence to avoid, etc.1835, John Herschel, A Treatise on Astronomy

Preposition

again

(dialectal, otherwise obsolete) Against.
- And here begynneth the treson of Kynge Marke that he ordayned agayne Sir Trystram.1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book X
- Ah'd like to wahrn (warn) thi agaan 'evvin owt to dew wi' that chap.1924, J H Wilkinson, Leeds Dialect Glossary and Lore, page 60

again meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

again in Hindi

another time: फिर phir, फिर से phir se, दुबारा dubārā, पुनः punaḥ

again in Tamil

another time: மீண்டும் mīṇṭum, மறுபடியும் maṟupaṭiyum
back to a former place or state: மீண்டும் mīṇṭum, மறுபடியும் maṟupaṭiyum, திரும்ப tirumpa, திரும்பவும் tirumpavum, மறுக்க maṟukka
used in a question to ask something one has forgotten: மறுபடியும் maṟupaṭiyum, திரும்பவும் tirumpavum, திரும்ப tirumpa, மறுக்க maṟukka
in return: திரும்ப tirumpa, திரும்பவும் tirumpavum

again in Marathi

another time: पुन्हा punhā, परत parat

again in Urdu

another time: پھر phir, پھر سے phir se, دوبارہ dubārā

More languagesFewer languages

again in Bengali: আবার abar
again in Telugu: మళ్లీ maḷlī, మరలా maralā
again in Malayalam: വീണ്ടും vīṇṭuṁ
again in Sanskrit: पुनर् punar
again in Assamese: আকৌ akou
again in Pashto: بيا byâ
again in Tagalog: muli, nanaman, ulit, ano
again in Arabic: مَرَّة أُخْرَى marra ʔuḵrā, ثَانِيَةً ṯāniyatan, مُجَدَّدًا mujaddadan, مِنْ جَدِيدٍ min jadīdin
again in Malay: lagi
again in Indonesian: lagi
again in Persian: دگربار degarbâr, دوباره do-bâre, باز bâz, از نو az now
again in Thai: อีก ìik, ใหม่ mài
again in Vietnamese: lại
again in Myanmar: နောက်တဖန် naukta.hpan, ထပ် htap, ပြန်လှန် pranhlan, နောက်ထပ် naukhtap

Examples of again in a sentence

Johnny said, “Devil, just come on back if you ever want to try again / I done told you once, you son of a bitch, I’m the best that’s ever been.”1979, Charles Edward Daniels et al., “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” (song), Million Mile Reflections, Charlie Daniels Band, Epic Records
The last sentence is so shocking, I have to read it again.2010 October 30, Simon Hattenstone, The Guardian:
The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again;[…].1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company...
Thinks I to myself, “Sol, you're run off your course again.1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

All 40 example sentences with again

Synonyms of again

Forms of again

alternative form (obsolete)	agen
alternative form (obsolete)	againe
alternative form (obsolete)	agayne
alternative form (obsolete)	ageyne
alternative form (colloquial, dialectal)	agin
alternative form (colloquial, dialectal)	ag'in
alternative poetic (dialectal)	'gain

Origin of again

From Middle English agayn, from Old English onġēan (“against, again”), from Proto-West Germanic *in gagin, from Proto-Germanic *in gagin. Cognate with German entgegen (“contrary to”), North Frisian ijen (“against”), Danish igen (“again”), Swedish igen (“again”), and Norwegian Bokmål igjen (“again”), and Icelandic í gegnum (“through”). By surface analysis, on- + gain (“against”).

Phrases with again

3 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with again

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about again

What does again mean?: Again means another time: indicating a repeat of an action.
What is again in Hindi?: Again in Hindi is फिर (phir), फिर से (phir se), दुबारा (dubārā). See Again meaning in Hindi.
How do you use again in a sentence?: Johnny said, “Devil, just come on back if you ever want to try again / I done told you once, you son of a bitch, I’m the best that’s ever been.”
What part of speech is again?: Again can be an adverb or a preposition.
How do you pronounce again?: Again is pronounced /əˈɡɛn/ (UK).

Words near again in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: again (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-uk-again.ogg, en-us-again.ogg.

Cite this entry: “again.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/again. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.