reprieve
verb (used with object)
to delay the impending punishment or sentence of (a condemned person).
reprieved
-
past participleof reprieve.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
past tense formof reprieve.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
reprieveverb (used with object)to delay the impending punishment or sentence of (a condemned person).
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Finally, “The Idiot” is the novel in which Dostoevsky most fully dramatizes his own nightmarish experience of being led blindfolded before a firing squad in 1849, only to be reprieved at the last moment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
The DOE review reprieved nearly 2,000 clean-technology projects, totaling close to $24 billion in funding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
The drama continued to the finish, with Bumrah having Lyon caught at slip on 33 in the final over only for Australia's number 10 to be reprieved by a no-ball.
From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2024
Maxwell was dropped twice, on 24 and 33, and also started to leave the field on 27 before, much to his surprise, he was reprieved after opting to review when given out lbw.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2023
When she discovered that she had nine months to go before the baby came, she felt like a reprieved criminal.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
