Meaning & use
repechage
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablesport
An extra round in a competition that gives losers another chance to stay in the event.
Grammar: Often used before another noun: repechage round, repechage heat.
Patterns
- go into the repechage
- win the repechage
- the repechage round
She lost her first race but won the repechage to reach the final.
The repechage gives strong athletes a second chance after one bad heat.
Eight rowers will compete in tomorrow's repechage for the last two final places.
Word forms
| plural | repechages |
|---|
Common combinations
- repechage round
- He finished third in the repechage round and went out.
- win the repechage
- The judo player won the repechage and took a bronze medal.
- go into the repechage
- After the loss, the crew went into the repechage.
- repechage heat
- Only the top two in each repechage heat advance.
Synonyms and how they differ
- second-chance round
- A plain English description rather than a fixed sports term; use it when your reader may not know 'repechage'.
- consolation round
- Similar idea, but it often means a separate event for those already eliminated, not a route back into the main competition.
Commonly confused: repechage or repetition?
repechage vs repetition
The words look a little alike but are unrelated: 'repetition' means doing something again, while 'repechage' is a sporting second chance.
Practice
In an Olympic rowing event, a crew that loses its first heat may still reach the final by winning the ______.
Choose one answer.
A 'repechage' is the extra race that lets beaten crews qualify. 'Repetition' means doing something again in general, 'referee' is the official, and 'rehearsal' is practice for a performance.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “repechage”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.