instant replay

noun

: a video recording of an action (such as a play in football) that can be played back (as in slow motion) immediately after the action has been completed
also : the playing of such a recording

Examples of instant replay in a Sentence

They showed the winning goal again in an instant replay. We watched the goal again on instant replay.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The league also expanded the instances in which instant replay can assist on-field officials in making a call. Ben Morse and Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2025 With slow-motion instant replays, determining a catch or a player’s intention for a personal foul can actually be distorted by low-speed replay, since humans aren’t adept at adjusting to shifting replay speeds. Arthur Daemmrich, The Conversation, 14 Mar. 2025 Sometimes instant replay can change the outcome of an NFL game. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019 Starting at the first beep, Verna planned to allow visual static to air just long enough before the second set of beeps, at which point the instant replay would beam into millions of living rooms across the country. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for instant replay

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of instant replay was in 1966

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Instant replay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instant%20replay. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on instant replay

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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