reprieve

noun
UK: /rɪˈpriːv/
US: /rɪˈpriːv/

  1. A delay before something bad happens.

    1. The bad weather gave us a short reprieve to stay at home.
    2. The family received a short reprieve from the landlord's eviction notice.

  2. A cancellation or postponement of a punishment, especially execution.

    1. The prisoner asked for a reprieve from his death sentence.
    2. He was granted a reprieve after new evidence was presented to the court.

Synonyms

stay suspend commute respite abeyance delay pardon
reprieve transitive-verb

  1. To delay or postpone punishment.

    1. They reprieved the execution.
    2. The governor can reprieve a prisoner's sentence if new facts emerge.

  2. To give temporary relief or delay to (someone or something).

    1. The rain reprieved us from the extreme heat for a while.
    2. The ceasefire reprieved the city's residents from the constant shelling.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "reprieve" in English means: A delay before something bad happens., A cancellation or postponement of a punishment, especially execution..

The phonetic transcription of "reprieve" is /rɪˈpriːv/ in British English and /rɪˈpriːv/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "reprieve": stay, suspend, commute, respite, abeyance, delay, pardon.

Example usage of "reprieve": "The bad weather gave us a short reprieve to stay at home.". More examples on the page.