reprieve 1 of 2

noun

Definition of reprievenext
1
as in pause
a temporary halt in an activity or condition The pool offered a welcome reprieve from the heat.

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2
as in parole
law a temporary release from the obligation to serve punishment for a crime The judge ordered a reprieve of the execution so the accused would have time to appeal the decision.

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reprieve

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to pardon

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2
as in to relieve

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of reprieve
Noun
Temperatures remained high through the night, providing little reprieve from the sweltering heat. — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 2 July 2026 This immunity stems from Google's high caution with rapidly changing live event data, providing a temporary reprieve for publishers from traffic declines. — Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Verb
In a gift to pharma, the bill broadened reprieves to drugs that treat rare conditions. — Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 10 Oct. 2025 Aside from the offerings of the market itself, the square is also lined with many shops, boutiques, and department stores that provide plenty of options for visitors, as well as indoor reprieves from the cold. — Jasmine Ting, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for reprieve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reprieve
  1. pause
  2. parole
  3. pardon
  4. relieve
  5. interruption
  6. commutation
  7. aid
  8. break
Noun
  • The stock has eased slightly since then to around $171, a normal pause after such a steep run, and the level to watch is whether that old $130 breakout zone holds if the pullback extends.
    — Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 6 July 2026
  • Packages flow directly from dock doors into scanning, identification and stacking—with no pauses, no handoffs and no redesigns.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 6 July 2026
Definition of pause
Noun
  • Simpson, rather than give probation, imposed a sentence of five years, but allowed Perez Garcia to become eligible for parole at any time.
    — Carolyn Komatsoulis Updated July 2, Idaho Statesman, 2 July 2026
  • He was also wanted for violating either parole or probation, Krasner added.
    — Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 2 July 2026
Definition of parole
Verb
  • Trump pardoned several crypto heavyweights, including Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, three BitMEX founders, and Binance founder Changpeng Zhao.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 1 July 2026
  • The case, however, did not affect Biden, who was pardoned by his father.
    — Nina Totenberg, NPR, 25 June 2026
Definition of pardon
Verb
  • Cuas relieved pitcher Matt Strahm in the eighth inning and limited the Rays to just two hits and one run.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026
  • Malik Tillman was the hero, relieving the pressure of a 1-0 goal lead with just 10 men on the field with his brilliant free kick.
    — Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of relieve
Noun
  • Research at the University of California, Irvine in 2008 found that returning to full focus after an interruption can take an average of 23 minutes.
    — Faustino Júnior, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • In February 2025, Musk admitted DOGE accidentally ended—and then quickly restored—funding for Ebola prevention, saying there was no interruption to programming.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 6 July 2026
Definition of interruption
Noun
  • Interim Ohio Republican Attorney General Andy Wilson expressed relief that DeWine didn't choose to use commutations and that his office will continue working to uphold the current law.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 18 June 2026
  • In Wells, after accepting the commutation, the defendant-petitioner argued that the president possessed the authority to issue only absolute pardons, not conditional ones, and that the petitioner’s acceptance of the conditional pardon was made under duress.
    — Robert Radick, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Definition of commutation
Verb
  • Sportswear giant Nike posted quarterly earnings that topped forecasts, aided by an expected refund of nearly $986 million in tariffs.
    — Justina Lee, CNBC, 1 July 2026
  • The death toll includes thousands of children, in addition to aid workers and journalists.
    — Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
Definition of aid
Noun
  • Mauney, widely seen as the best rider of his generation and someone who braved the hardest bulls to ride, had to retire in 2023 after a neck break on a bull called Arctic Assassin.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
  • Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski and Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes might pitch on the Sunday before the All-Star break, which would make Sánchez a logical choice.
    — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Definition of break

Browse Nearby Words

repressive
reprieve
reprieved
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Cite this Entry

“Reprieve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reprieve. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on reprieve

Nglish: Translation of reprieve for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about reprieve

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