reprieve
verb
re·prieve
| \ ri-ˈprēv
\
\
reprieved;
reprieving
Definition of reprieve
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to delay the punishment of (someone, such as a condemned prisoner)
2
: to give relief or deliverance to for a time
reprieve
noun
re·prieve
| \ ri-ˈprēv
\
\
Definition of reprieve (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: the act of reprieving : the state of being reprieved
b
: a formal temporary suspension of the execution of a sentence especially of death
2
: an order or warrant for a temporary suspension of the execution of a sentence
3
: a temporary respite (as from pain or trouble)
Examples of reprieve in a Sentence
Verb
And many murderers have been reprieved because they were condemned for the wrong murder, quite probably just as many as have been executed for the only murder they did not in fact commit. — Christopher Hitchens, Nation, 14 May 2001 In a postscript to the very same letter, he added, 'If he must die, it were charity to reprieve him till Saturday.' If there had been any doubt of his fate, this weakness and meanness would have settled it. The very next day, which was the twelfth of May, he was brought out to be beheaded on Tower Hill. — Charles Dickens, A Child's History of England, 1854 He was sentenced to death but then reprieved. The library has been reprieved and will remain open for at least another year.Noun
In Baghdad, you learn to savor small pleasures. When the weather turned unexpectedly cool one recent evening …  , people emptied out of their houses, braving the ever present threat of violence in order to enjoy a brief reprieve from the heat. — Aparisim Ghosh, Time, 11 July 2005 Six days later Captain Dufranne announced that they would sail early on the morrow. Jane would have begged for a further reprieve, had it not been that she too had begun to believe that her forest lover would return no more. — Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes, 1914 It may be, on the other hand, that the destruction of the Martians is only a reprieve. To them, and not to us, perhaps, is the future ordained. — H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, 1898 That he did not regard it as a desperate case, that he did not say a few hours must end it, was at first felt, beyond the hope of most; and the ecstasy of such a reprieve, the rejoicing, deep and silent, after a few fervent ejaculations of gratitude to Heaven had been offered, may be conceived. — Jane Austen, Persuasion, 1817 Death, that inexorable judge, had passed sentence on him, and refused to grant him a reprieve, though two doctors who arrived, and were fee'd at one and the same instant, were his counsel. — Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, 1749 They wanted to close the library, but we managed to get a reprieve for it. This warm spell has given us a reprieve from the winter cold.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The Supreme Court will review the legal status of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, Obama’s reprieves from deportation for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. before age 16. — Bob Egelko, SFChronicle.com, "California to Trump: See you in court, with a barrage of lawsuits," 18 Aug. 2019 Tyner, luckily, was reprieved; such stories aren’t foreign to the longtime Philadelphia radio personality. — Brandon T. Harden, Philly.com, "Rare interviews of Run DMC, The Roots, Jay-Z, and others have been unearthed through this Philly radio host's new podcast," 25 Apr. 2018 Reprieved from collapse, the Ottoman Empire’s government pursued radical reforms. — The Economist, "If the Ottoman Empire had not collapsedHad the Ottoman Empire been saved rather than sunk," 13 July 2017Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Aside from the Labor Day break set for Monday, most Houston-area students will not get a reprieve until Thanksgiving break Nov. 25. — Rebecca Hennes, Houston Chronicle, "Now that Houston is tired from back to school, when is our next break?," 28 Aug. 2019 The Southwest got a reprieve this year with average and above-average snowfall following a year that sent many states into extreme drought. — Washington Post, "Wet winter doesn’t end climate change risk to Colorado River," 15 Aug. 2019 Global stocks surged Tuesday on news President Trump will wait until December to slap new tariffs on laptops, iPhones, toys, and some other imports from China (sorry Apple Watch and AirPods–wearables didn't get a reprieve). — Fortune, "Why Trump’s Trade War Keeps Zapping Tech Stocks—Data Sheet," 14 Aug. 2019 The facility got a reprieve, however, at 11:45 pm on Tuesday, just minutes before the law was to take effect. — Anna North, Vox, "Why this law could be a bigger threat to Roe v. Wade than near-total abortion bans," 24 July 2019 The defense might get a brief reprieve though if the offense can continue its uptick as every starter on that side of the field is expected back. — Edward Lee, baltimoresun.com, "Review & preview: Mount St. Mary’s men’s lacrosse," 6 June 2018 The company could get a reprieve, though—after meeting with president Xi Jinping in Japan on the sidelines of the G-20 summit last month, Trump suggested Huawei’s problems could be dealt with through US-China trade talks. — Jane Li, Quartz, "2019 isn’t looking too bad for Huawei, yet," 30 July 2019 Before you take a shopping reprieve, join us for one final dive into the most wanted Nordstrom scores. — Elizabeth Buxton, refinery29.com, "The 29 Nordstrom Sale Finds Readers Are Obsessed With," 25 July 2019 Last year Mr Trump decided to grant a lastminute reprieve to ZTE, another Chinese telecoms-equipment firm. — The Economist, "SecurityCompanies must get ready for a riskier world," 11 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reprieve.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for reprieve
reprieve
verb
English Language Learners Definition of reprieve
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to delay the punishment of (someone, such as a prisoner who is sentenced to death)
: to prevent (something) from being closed, destroyed, etc., for a period of time
reprieve
noun
English Language Learners Definition of reprieve (Entry 2 of 2)
: an official order that delays the punishment of a prisoner who is sentenced to death
: a delay that keeps something bad from happening
: a period of relief from pain, trouble, etc.
See the full definition for reprieve in the English Language Learners Dictionary
reprieve
verb
re·prieve
| \ ri-ˈprēv
\
\
reprieved;
reprieving
Kids Definition of reprieve
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to delay something (as the punishment of a prisoner sentenced to die)
2
: to give relief to
We were reprieved when a storm closed school on test day.
reprieve
nounKids Definition of reprieve (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: the act of postponing something
2
: a temporary relief
Rain brought a reprieve from the heat.
reprieve
transitive verb
re·prieve
| \ ri-ˈprēv
\
\