retell

verb

re·​tell (ˌ)rē-ˈtel 

retold (ˌ)rē-ˈtōld  ; retelling

transitive verb

1

: to tell again or in another form

2

: to count again

Examples of retell in a Sentence

The movie retells the story of Romeo and Juliet.

Recent Examples on the Web

Another medieval text retells the story of Huan Xuan (369–404 AD), who notoriously killed his cousin’s entire stable of fighting ducks out of anger after repeatedly losing to him. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025

Currently in post-production for a 2026 release, the drama retells the true story of a youngster raised by ostriches in the Sahara. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2025

And in the end, the controversy that’s been drummed up around this curiously lifeless retelling from director Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) will almost certainly be the only thing folks remember about this particular take on the fairest of them all. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2025

Both chapters take advantage of the dual timeline structure, with the story jumping back and forth, relying on a familiar yet effective vehicle to retell the events of 1995 in chapter-like fragments. —Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for retell

• barbell
• bedwell
• befell
• bluebell
• bombshell
• bridewell
• capelle
• cartel
• carvel
• clamshell
• cogswell
• compel

Kids Definition

retell

verb

re·​tell rē-ˈtel 

retold -ˈtōld  ; retelling

1

: to tell again or in another form

2

: to count again