1
as in pause
a temporary halt in an activity or condition
The pool offered a welcome reprieve from the heat.
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2
as in parole
law
a temporary release from the obligation to serve punishment for a crime
The judge ordered a reprieve of the execution so the accused would have time to appeal the decision.
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1
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reprieve
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
30 June 2026
Thankfully for Ralf Rangnick’s side, Sasa Kalajdzic’s equaliser in the final seconds of their final game of the group stage against Algeria was enough to earn them a reprieve.
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Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
30 June 2026
Lisa Jarvis,
Mercury News,
10 Oct. 2025
Aside from the offerings of the market itself, the square is also lined with many shops, boutiques, and department stores that provide plenty of options for visitors, as well as indoor reprieves from the cold.
—
Jasmine Ting,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reprieve
Noun
High oil prices due to the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz granted Putin a temporary reprieve, but a labor shortage and constrained manufacturing capacity have complicated the Kremlin’s hopes of funneling more money into its defense sector.
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Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
30 June 2026
Thankfully for Ralf Rangnick’s side, Sasa Kalajdzic’s equaliser in the final seconds of their final game of the group stage against Algeria was enough to earn them a reprieve.
—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
30 June 2026
Verb
In a gift to pharma, the bill broadened reprieves to drugs that treat rare conditions.
—
Lisa Jarvis,
Mercury News,
10 Oct. 2025
Aside from the offerings of the market itself, the square is also lined with many shops, boutiques, and department stores that provide plenty of options for visitors, as well as indoor reprieves from the cold.
—
Jasmine Ting,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reprieve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reprieve
Noun
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Munster’s mosquito-spraying program is once again set to take flight Tuesday after a brief pause, the town announced.
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His health problems resembled a fall down a long flight of stairs, with pauses at several landings.
Noun
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Simpson, rather than give probation, imposed a sentence of five years, but allowed Perez Garcia to become eligible for parole at any time.
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He was also wanted for violating either parole or probation, Krasner added.
Verb
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Trump pardoned several crypto heavyweights, including Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, three BitMEX founders, and Binance founder Changpeng Zhao.
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The case, however, did not affect Biden, who was pardoned by his father.
Verb
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Cuas relieved pitcher Matt Strahm in the eighth inning and limited the Rays to just two hits and one run.
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Malik Tillman was the hero, relieving the pressure of a 1-0 goal lead with just 10 men on the field with his brilliant free kick.
Noun
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The result can be a more consistent connection, fewer interruptions and less of that infuriating mid-episode quality drop.
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Conducted at Longcheer Technology’s electronics manufacturing facility, the robots carried out tasks including tablet inspection, defect sorting, and material transport without interruption.
Noun
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Interim Ohio Republican Attorney General Andy Wilson expressed relief that DeWine didn't choose to use commutations and that his office will continue working to uphold the current law.
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In Wells, after accepting the commutation, the defendant-petitioner argued that the president possessed the authority to issue only absolute pardons, not conditional ones, and that the petitioner’s acceptance of the conditional pardon was made under duress.
Verb
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Sportswear giant Nike posted quarterly earnings that topped forecasts, aided by an expected refund of nearly $986 million in tariffs.
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The death toll includes thousands of children, in addition to aid workers and journalists.
Noun
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Mauney, widely seen as the best rider of his generation and someone who braved the hardest bulls to ride, had to retire in 2023 after a neck break on a bull called Arctic Assassin.
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Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski and Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes might pitch on the Sunday before the All-Star break, which would make Sánchez a logical choice.
Cite this Entry
“Reprieve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reprieve. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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