Definition

1. Noun:
   • A device that receives and retransmits a signal: In electronics and telecommunications, a repeater is a device that amplifies or regenerates a signal to extend its range or maintain its quality before sending it onward.
   • A firearm capable of multiple shots: A gun, such as a rifle or revolver, designed to fire several rounds in succession without needing to be reloaded after each shot.
   • A person who does something again: Someone who repeats an action, often habitually or frequently. This can refer to a person who reoffends, a student who retakes a class, or someone who revisits an experience.
   • A timepiece that chimes: A clock or watch that can be made to strike the hours or quarters upon demand.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Device):
  • The network engineer installed a repeater to boost the Wi-Fi signal in the far corner of the building.
  • Fiber optic repeaters are essential for long-distance data transmission.
• Noun (Firearm):
  • The museum displayed a historic lever-action repeater from the 19th century.
  • He preferred a repeater for hunting because it allowed for quick follow-up shots.
• Noun (Person):
  • The judge noted the defendant was a repeater, having been convicted of the same crime three times before.
  • The film's fan club meeting was full of repeaters who had seen the director's cut over ten times.

Advanced Usage

• In computing/networking: A repeater operates at the physical layer (Layer 1) of the OSI model to regenerate network signals. It does not filter or route traffic.
  • A simple hub acts as a multiport repeater, broadcasting data to all connected devices.
• In criminal justice: The term "repeater" or "habitual offender" is used in legal contexts to describe someone with multiple convictions.
  • The new law imposed stricter penalties on repeaters.

Variants and Related Words

• Repeat (verb): To do or say something again.
  • Please repeat the question.
• Repetition (noun): The act of repeating.
  • Practice involves a lot of repetition.
• Repeating (adjective): Designed to repeat.
  • A repeating decimal; a repeating rifle.

Synonyms

• Device: Booster, amplifier, regenerator.
• Firearm: Repeating rifle, magazine-fed gun.
• Person: Recidivist (for criminals), returnee, habitual offender.

Related Phrases

• Repeater station: A facility housing signal repeating equipment.
  • The broadcast was relayed through a mountain-top repeater station.
• Repeater watch: A type of watch that chimes the time.
  • His antique repeater watch was a valuable collector's item.

Related Idioms

• Like a broken record: Someone who repeats the same thing over and over. (This idiom describes a person's behavior, not the device itself).
  • He kept complaining about the same issue—he sounded like a broken record.

Noun

1. (electronics) electronic device that amplifies a signal before transmitting it again
   • repeaters can be used in computer networks to extend cabling distances
2. a firearm that can fire several rounds without reloading
3. someone who is repeatedly arrested for criminal behavior (especially for the same criminal behavior)
4. a person who repeats
   • the audience consisted largely of repeaters who had seen the movie many times