Repast or Repass: Which Word Is Correct?

Repast and repass are both real words, but they are not usually interchangeable.

Use repast when you mean a meal, especially a formal, traditional, or old-fashioned word for food shared with others.

Use repass when you mean to pass again, go back over something, or, in some communities, a gathering after a funeral.

Examples:

• The family shared a quiet repast after the service.
• The guests enjoyed a simple evening repast.
• The car had to repass the checkpoint.
• The family invited everyone to the repass after the funeral.

The most common confusion happens because repast and repass sound very similar, especially in fast speech. In funeral-related contexts, both words may appear, but they are not exactly the same historically.

Quick Answer

Use repast for a meal.

Use repass for passing again, or for a post-funeral gathering in some cultural usage.

Most traditional:

• The family held a funeral repast.

Common in some communities:

• The family held a funeral repass.

Different meaning:

• The driver had to repass the test.

If you are writing generally about a meal after a funeral, repast is the more traditional word. If you are reflecting the wording commonly used in a specific community, repass may also be appropriate.

What Does Repast Mean?

Repast means a meal.

It is not a very common everyday word. Most people would simply say meal, dinner, lunch, or food. But repast still appears in formal writing, older writing, religious contexts, funeral announcements, and literary descriptions.

Examples:

• The guests gathered for a modest repast.
• A light repast was served after the ceremony.
• The travelers stopped for a simple repast.
• The church hosted a funeral repast for the family.

In plain English, repast means food served and shared, especially as part of a formal or meaningful gathering.

What Does Repass Mean?

Repass can mean to pass again, pass back, or go over something again.

Examples:

• The ship had to repass the same point.
• The student needed to repass the exam.
• The guards watched the travelers repass the gate.
• The group had to repass through security.

In this meaning, repass is built from:

re- = again
pass = go by, move through, or succeed

So repass literally means “pass again.”

However, repass is also used by many people to mean a gathering or meal after a funeral. In that context, it often refers to the time when family and friends come together after the funeral service to eat, talk, remember the deceased, and support one another.

Example:

• The family invited mourners to the repass after the burial.

This use is common in some communities, especially in African American funeral traditions and church-related contexts.

Repast vs Repass: The Main Difference

The basic difference is:

Repast = a meal
Repass = to pass again, or a funeral gathering in some usage

If you are talking about food, repast is the traditional word.

If you are talking about moving through something again, use repass.

Compare:

• The church served a repast after the funeral.
• The driver had to repass the road test.

The first sentence is about a meal.
The second sentence is about passing a test again.

Funeral Repast or Funeral Repass?

This is where the confusion becomes more interesting.

Traditionally, repast is the word for a meal, so funeral repast makes sense. It means a meal held after a funeral.

Examples:

• A funeral repast will follow the service.
• The family prepared a repast for guests after the burial.

However, many people also say funeral repass. In this usage, repass refers to the gathering after the funeral, often including food, fellowship, and remembrance.

Examples:

• The repass will be held at the church hall.
• Everyone is welcome to attend the repass after the service.

So which one should you use?

For standard formal writing, repast is the safer word when the focus is on the meal.

For culturally familiar or community-specific wording, repass may be the word people actually use and recognize.

Is Repass Wrong for a Funeral Gathering?

Not necessarily.

Some writers and editors prefer repast because it directly means “meal.” They may see repass as a mistaken version of repast.

But language also changes through community usage. Since repass is commonly used in some funeral contexts, it can be appropriate when you are using the term your audience expects.

A practical rule:

Use repast if you want the traditional dictionary-style word for a meal.

Use repass if you are referring to the common community term for the post-funeral gathering.

Is Repast Too Formal?

Repast can sound formal, old-fashioned, or literary. That is not always a bad thing.

It fits well in:

• funeral announcements
• church programs
• formal invitations
• memorial service details
• literary writing
• historical writing

Examples:

• A light repast will be served in the fellowship hall.
• The family invites guests to a repast following the service.

In everyday conversation, though, many people would just say:

• meal
• lunch
• dinner
• reception
• gathering
• food after the service

So repast is correct, but it has a formal tone.

How to Remember the Difference

A simple memory trick:

Repast has “past” in it.

After a formal event has passed, people may gather for a repast, or meal.

Think:

repast = meal after something has passed

For repass, remember the parts:

re + pass = pass again

Examples:

• repass the test
• repass the gate
• repass through security

That makes the spelling easier:

repast = meal
repass = pass again

For funeral usage, remember that repast is the traditional meal word, while repass is a common community term for the gathering.

Spelling Structure

Repast is spelled:

r-e-p-a-s-t

It ends in -past.

Repass is spelled:

r-e-p-a-s-s

It ends in -pass.

The final letters are the key:

repast = ends with t
repass = ends with s

If the word means a meal, choose the one ending in t:

repast

If the word means to pass again, choose the one ending in s:

repass

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using repass when you mean a meal in formal writing

Less traditional:

• A light repass will be served after the ceremony.

More traditional:

• A light repast will be served after the ceremony.

Mistake 2: Using repast when you mean pass again

Incorrect:

• She had to repast the exam.

Correct:

• She had to repass the exam.

Here, the meaning is “pass again,” so use repass.

Mistake 3: Assuming funeral repass is always wrong

In some communities, repass is a familiar term for the gathering after a funeral. If that is the wording your audience uses, it may be appropriate.

Still, for the meal itself, repast is the more traditional word.

Example Sentences With Repast

• A small repast followed the memorial service.
• The church prepared a warm repast for the family.
• The travelers stopped for a simple repast.
• Guests were invited to share a quiet repast after the ceremony.

Example Sentences With Repass

• He had to repass the driving test.
• The hikers decided to repass the same trail.
• The family announced a repass at the community center after the funeral.
• Visitors had to repass through the security gate.

Final Answer: Repast or Repass?

Use repast when you mean a meal, especially a formal meal after a ceremony or funeral.

Use repass when you mean to pass again, or when referring to a post-funeral gathering in communities where that term is commonly used.

The easiest way to remember the difference is:

Repast = meal
Repass = pass again

For formal funeral writing, repast is usually the safer traditional choice. For community-specific funeral language, repass may also be understood and accepted.