respite
noun
re·spite
| \ ˈre-spət also ri-ˈspīt
, British usually ˈre-ˌspīt\
, British usually ˈre-ˌspīt\
Definition of respite
(Entry 1 of 3)
1
: a period of temporary delay
2
: an interval of rest or relief
respite
verb
respited;
respiting
Definition of respite (Entry 2 of 3)
1
: to grant a temporary period of relief to : grant a respite to
respite
adjectiveDefinition of respite (Entry 3 of 3)
: providing or being temporary care in relief of a primary caregiver
respite care a respite worker
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Examples of respite in a Sentence
Noun
But in the middle of each semester there came a short respite, separate from the traditional holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. — Martha Southgate, The Fall of Rome, 2002 Six years more of toil they had to face before they could expect the least respite, the cessation of the payments upon the house … — Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, 1906 The laborer's day ends with the going down of the sun … but his employer, who speculates from month to month, has no respite from one end of the year to the other. — Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854 The bad weather has continued without respite.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Of course, the respite may be short-lived: With one more qualifying poll, Mr. Steyer will make the October debate stage, likely making that a two-night affair. — New York Times, "Democratic Candidates Jostle, and Gripe, as Debates Winnow the Field," 28 Aug. 2019 And this recent stretch of success happened without Ramon Laureano’s dynamic playmaking and with typically-reliable Khris Davis in a painfully prolonged slump (with some respites like Wednesday night’s home run off J.A. Happ). — Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, "How these plucky A’s have seized the big moment against baseball’s best," 22 Aug. 2019 Yet the temporary respite from clashes that escalated steadily in July risks being thrown into the wind as the city’s leader, Carrie Lam, stood steadfast in refusing to make any concrete form of concession to the protest’s key demands. — Mary Hui, Quartz, "Hong Kong’s moment of calm is in danger of being squandered," 20 Aug. 2019 In the end, a measure of balance is restored, but Kent is too honest to suggest this respite will be anything but temporary. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Review: ‘The Nightingale’ is a brilliant, horrifying tale of revenge," 15 Aug. 2019 After a one-day respite, panic has reignited over trade. — Anneken Tappe, CNN, "Dow set to tumble 300 points on a scary sign from the bond market," 7 Aug. 2019 Lost for more than a century and then rediscovered just before World War I, the tunnels contained hundreds of rooms and two dozen galleries that served as an important respite for troops on the Western Front during the war. — Meghan Miner Murray, National Geographic, "9 of Europe’s underground marvels," 2 Aug. 2019 The respite comes in the middle of an abnormally long slump. — Chandler Rome, Houston Chronicle, "Astros' Alex Bregman gets rare day off," 28 July 2019 That’s because parental-leave policies bring attention to the special needs of working parents, and especially mothers, and erroneously imply that non-parents require less downtime or respite. — Lila Maclellan, Quartz at Work, "It isn’t just new parents who deserve paid leave," 25 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Even in its mixed family-cruise lines, the company offers separate areas for adults-only pools, lounges and nightclubs to offer parents respite from their active children. — Sarah Min, CBS News, "Childless millennials should be banned from Disney World, tired mom rants," 29 July 2019 Wicker lounges across the lush lawn offer respite with uninterrupted sea views and unrivaled sunsets. — Danica Farley, Orange County Register, "A whale of a time in Nantucket," 17 July 2019 Vouchers are provided as a subsidy so that San Diego County contributes 50 percent to respite expenses. — Ramona Sentinel, "Adult center accepts caregiver respite vouchers," 16 July 2019 Jann-Fiete Arp will offer respite in Bayern Munich's less important matches, but the Poland international will still be needed to carry the club through the latter stages of the Champions League. — SI.com, "Robert Lewandowski: Why the Pole's New Contract Will Be the Catalyst for Bayern Munich's UCL Dream," 10 July 2019 The 1,200-square-foot bakery is cozy with four cafe tables that grant patrons respite while enjoying their coffee and muffin while reading the paper. — Georgann Yara, azcentral, "These Phoenix hair stylists were tired of the vacant space next to their salon. So they opened a bakery," 20 June 2019 What’s more, Dinwiddie’s excellent marks as the pick-and-roll ball-handler and as an isolation scorer would provide Phoenix with efficient primary offense on certain possessions, giving Booker brief respites when needed. — Jeremy Cluff, azcentral, "Spencer Dinwiddie trade rumors: Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets trade speculation heats up," 4 June 2019 For the next six months, weekly visits from nurses and aides gave my sister respite and helped us stay ahead of skin and bowel issues that had also brought us to ERs. — Jeanne Erdmann, chicagotribune.com, "At 100, my mom had dementia and needed hospice care. Getting it was nearly impossible.," 8 May 2018 The clergy met them at a Catholic Charities respite center in McAllen, Texas. — Molly Hennessy-fiske, latimes.com, "Trump ended separating families. But what's next?," 21 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
The Angels were offered more temporary respite Saturday night, coming from behind from to beat the Boston Red Sox 10-4 in front of 43,036 at Angel Stadium. — Los Angeles Times, "Mike Trout calls latest Tyler Skaggs news ‘tough'; Angels defeat Red Sox," 31 Aug. 2019 The foundation also funds respite homes, places where families can take a vacation from treatment, or after-cancer treatment, on the mountains and beaches of Maryland, Delaware and North Carolina, according to Poisal. — Jon Kelvey, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Fallen Manchester sailor remembered with fundraising event, commemorative beer from Monument City Brewing," 30 Aug. 2019 In addition to visiting the ORR facility, the Oregon Democrat toured a border processing center in McAllen, Texas, and a respite center run by the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. — Maya Rhodan, Time, "Sen. Jeff Merkley: 'Zero Tolerance' Refugee Policy Is Actually 'Zero Humanity'," 4 June 2018 The comfy seats of our pickup were a welcome respite post-headliner performances. — Taysha Murtaugh, Country Living, "Everything You Need to Know Before Attending a Country Music Festival," 1 June 2018 The Alzheimer’s Association provides tips on caregiving, how to get respite care and referrals for services. — Michele Parente, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Resources for dementia caregivers," 27 Apr. 2018 Pomeroy, which already operates licensed overnight respite programs elsewhere with staff on duty seven days a week, has begun the process of applying for new licensing at 2626 Fulton, Cohen said. — Carolyne Zinko, San Francisco Chronicle, "Troubled San Francisco charity selling off goods to fund new group home," 6 Mar. 2018 Children at area respite homes, including the Ronald McDonald House of Baltimore and Lifebridge Health’s Hackerman Patz’s house across from Sinai Hospital will receive the cards. — Staff Report, The Aegis, "Adults, young people partner in Harford to make Valentine's Day cards for sick children," 14 Feb. 2018 For a time, the respite center staff wondered if the families would stop being released completely. — Jessica Contrera, chicagotribune.com, "As border quiets, safe passage into the U.S. is still granted to some families," 25 June 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'respite.' 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 respite
respite
noun
English Language Learners Definition of respite
: a short period of time when you are able to stop doing something that is difficult or unpleasant or when something difficult or unpleasant stops or is delayed
See the full definition for respite in the English Language Learners Dictionary
respite
noun
res·pite
| \ ˈre-spət
\
\