Retake: meaning, definitions and examples

Generally used when someone has to take a test or exam again after failing or not performing well the first time.

• She had to retake the driving test because she didn't pass the first time.
• If you fail the math exam, you will have to retake it next month.

Commonly used in British English to mean taking an exam again, similar to retake.

• He'll need to resit his English exam in July.
• Students who fail the initial assessment will have the opportunity to resit the exam.

Used when someone needs to do an action or task over again, not limited to exams or tests, often because the first attempt was incorrect or unsatisfactory.

• The teacher asked him to redo the assignment because it was full of errors.
• We need to redo the presentation to better align with the client's feedback.

Often used in a formal or professional setting, particularly in legal, academic, or medical contexts, when reviewing or analyzing something again.

• The committee will reexamine the proposal to ensure all criteria are met.
• She decided to reexamine the patient after the symptoms didn't improve.

Used when referring to repeating a starting task or activity, like taking an exam again or retaking a scene in a film. The term is quite broad and can be used in various formal and informal contexts.

• I need to retake my driving test because I failed the first time.
• The director asked us to retake the scene because the lighting was poor.

Commonly used in the context of filmmaking or photography when referring to shooting a scene or photo again due to errors or desired improvements. It is mostly used in professional or semi-professional settings.

• We need to reshoot the final scene because the actor's performance wasn't satisfactory.
• After reviewing the footage, the director decided we had to reshoot the action sequence.

Typically used in a more specific context where a photograph is being taken again. This term can be used in professional photography or casual contexts but suggests photographing the same subject more than once.

• The light was too bright in the original shot, so we had to rephotograph the model.
• I visited the same spot to rephotograph the sunset from a different angle.