reprieve

American  

[ri-preev] / rɪˈpriv /

verb (used with object)

reprieved, reprieving

1. to delay the impending punishment or sentence of (a condemned person).

2. to relieve temporarily from any evil.

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noun

1. a respite from impending punishment, as from execution of a sentence of death.

2. a warrant authorizing this.

3. any respite or temporary relief.

   Synonyms:

   deferment, stay, postponement, delay

reprieve British  

/ rɪˈpriːv /

verb

1. to postpone or remit the punishment of (a person, esp one condemned to death)

2. to give temporary relief to (a person or thing), esp from otherwise irrevocable harm

   the government has reprieved the company with a huge loan

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noun

1. a postponement or remission of punishment, esp of a person condemned to death

2. a warrant granting a postponement

3. a temporary relief from pain or harm; respite

4. the act of reprieving or the state of being reprieved

Related Words

See pardon.

Other Word Forms

• reprievable adjective
• repriever noun
• unreprieved adjective

Etymology

Origin of reprieve

First recorded in 1300–50; perhaps conflation of Middle English repreven “to contradict,” variant of reproven “to rebuke,” apparently taken in literal sense “to prove again, test again,” and Middle English repried (past participle of reprien “to bring back”), from Old French reprit (past participle of reprendre “to take back”; reprise, reprove,

Explanation

A reprieve is a break in or cancellation of a painful or otherwise lousy situation. If you're being tortured, a reprieve is a break from whatever's tormenting you. For some, a night at the opera is a night of punishing boredom during which the only reprieve is the intermission. For others, it's baseball that feels like torture. The seventh-inning stretch is the only reprieve from a night of endless waiting. Often, you'll hear reprieve used when a court or governor decides not to execute a prisoner. That prisoner is given a reprieve and will be allowed to live. He probably won't get a reprieve from prison, though, unless he's found innocent.

Example Sentences

Late on Wednesday, a handful of the students got a reprieve, with the SLC backing down and reinstating their right to receive payments.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

The latter charge, comprising a breach of allegiance owed to a sovereign or state, was crucial because it was not subject to reprieve or commutation by the governor without consent of the Legislature.

From Slate • Apr. 2, 2026

A Russian oil tanker was set to deliver the first crude shipment to Cuba since January on Tuesday after Washington gave the crisis-hit island a reprieve from an effective fuel blockade.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

On Thursday he extended his reprieve for Iran’s energy sites again to April 6.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

I relaxed a bit, knowing his tone meant a temporary reprieve from the lecture.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Related Words

• abatement
• absolution
• amnesty
• clemency
• deferment
• pardon
• postponement
• remission
• respite
• suspension
• truce