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”; see 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

Reprieve deputy chief executive Dan Dolan said: "This important intervention should be a wake-up call for the UK government, which is not doing nearly enough to help this young British man."

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Appeared in the March 26, 2026, print edition as 'Hochul Wants a Climate Reprieve'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Reprieve can be found at the movies — whether in the laughter, the screams and the audible reactions, or the heated and excited discussions that happen after the credits roll.

From Salon • Jan. 6, 2026

“We know that there’s racism in the criminal justice system,” said Maya Foa, an executive director of Reprieve.

From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2024

Reprieve, I call it, because if the skipper had gone on with his silly argument much longer he would have had to be knocked out of the way.

From Victory An Island Tale by Conrad, Joseph

Related Words

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