What does "again" mean?
Another time: indicating a repeat of an action.
Again
/əˈɡɛn/ adv, prep
adv, prep ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Another time: indicating a repeat of an action.
- Grammar: again is listed as adv, prep.
- Nearest alternatives: ab ovo, about, above, additionally.
- Useful contrasts: initially, once.
- Usage evidence: Could you call again later, please?
How to use "again"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "again" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "again" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "again" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "again" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "again" is acting as adv, prep in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ab ovo" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "again", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adverb
- 1 Another time: indicating a repeat of an action. not-comparable
"I enjoyed it so much I went again the next day."
- 2 Back (to a former place or state). not-comparable
"We need to bring the old customs to life again."
- 3 Over and above a factor of one. not-comparable
"This stick is quite long, but that other one is half as long again."
- 4 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. not-comparable
"Great, thanks again!"
- 5 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.; Tell me again, say again; used in asking a question to which one may have already received an answer that one cannot remember. not-comparable
"What's that called again?"
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 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.; I ask again, I say again; used in repeating a question or statement. not-comparable
"Again, I'm not criticizing, I just want to understand."
- 7 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.; Here too, here also, in this case as well; used in applying a previously made point to a new instance; sometimes preceded by "here". not-comparable
"Approach B is better than approach A in many respects, but again, there are difficulties in implementing it."
- 8 Back in the reverse direction, or to an original starting point. not-comparable, obsolete
"Bring us word again."
- 9 In return, as a reciprocal action; back. not-comparable, obsolete
"So women are never angrie, but to the end a man should againe be angrie with them, therein imitating the lawes of Love."
- 10 In any other place. not-comparable, obsolete
"There is not, in the world again, such a spring and seminary of brave military people as in England, Scotland, and Ireland."
- 11 On the other hand. not-comparable, obsolete
"The one is my sovereign[…]the other again is my kinsman."
- 12 Moreover; besides; further. not-comparable
"Again, it is of great consequence to avoid, etc."
Adverb
- 1 anew wordnet
Preposition
- 1 Against. dialectal
"And here begynneth the treson of Kynge Marke that he ordayned agayne Sir Trystram."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Could you call again later, please?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "again"?
Common synonyms include: ab ovo, about, above, additionally, afresh, afresh.
How do you use "again" in a sentence?
Could you call again later, please?
How do you pronounce "again"?
Pronounced /əˈɡɛn/.
Etymology
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”).