reprieve

verb

re·prieve | \ ri-ˈprēv

reprieved; reprieving

Definition of reprieve

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to delay the punishment of (someone, such as a condemned prisoner)

2 : to give relief or deliverance to for a time

reprieve

noun

re·prieve | \ ri-ˈprēv

Definition of reprieve (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : the act of reprieving : the state of being reprieved

b : a formal temporary suspension of the execution of a sentence especially of death

2 : an order or warrant for a temporary suspension of the execution of a sentence

3 : a temporary respite (as from pain or trouble)

Examples of reprieve in a Sentence

Verb

And many murderers have been reprieved because they were condemned for the wrong murder, quite probably just as many as have been executed for the only murder they did not in fact commit. — Christopher Hitchens, Nation, 14 May 2001 In a postscript to the very same letter, he added, 'If he must die, it were charity to reprieve him till Saturday.' If there had been any doubt of his fate, this weakness and meanness would have settled it. The very next day, which was the twelfth of May, he was brought out to be beheaded on Tower Hill. — Charles Dickens, A Child's History of England, 1854 He was sentenced to death but then reprieved. The library has been reprieved and will remain open for at least another year.

Noun

In Baghdad, you learn to savor small pleasures. When the weather turned unexpectedly cool one recent evening … , people emptied out of their houses, braving the ever present threat of violence in order to enjoy a brief reprieve from the heat. — Aparisim Ghosh, Time, 11 July 2005 Six days later Captain Dufranne announced that they would sail early on the morrow. Jane would have begged for a further reprieve, had it not been that she too had begun to believe that her forest lover would return no more. — Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes, 1914 It may be, on the other hand, that the destruction of the Martians is only a reprieve. To them, and not to us, perhaps, is the future ordained. — H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, 1898 That he did not regard it as a desperate case, that he did not say a few hours must end it, was at first felt, beyond the hope of most; and the ecstasy of such a reprieve, the rejoicing, deep and silent, after a few fervent ejaculations of gratitude to Heaven had been offered, may be conceived. — Jane Austen, Persuasion, 1817 Death, that inexorable judge, had passed sentence on him, and refused to grant him a reprieve, though two doctors who arrived, and were fee'd at one and the same instant, were his counsel. — Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, 1749 They wanted to close the library, but we managed to get a reprieve for it. This warm spell has given us a reprieve from the winter cold.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Tyner, luckily, was reprieved; such stories aren’t foreign to the longtime Philadelphia radio personality. — Brandon T. Harden, Philly.com, "Rare interviews of Run DMC, The Roots, Jay-Z, and others have been unearthed through this Philly radio host's new podcast," 25 Apr. 2018 Reprieved from collapse, the Ottoman Empire’s government pursued radical reforms. — The Economist, "If the Ottoman Empire had not collapsedHad the Ottoman Empire been saved rather than sunk," 13 July 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The president’s announcement Thursday offered them no reprieve, to the chagrin of William Baker, president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. — John Flesher, The Seattle Times, "Trump backtracks on call to gut $300M Great Lakes program," 30 Mar. 2019 While a welcome reprieve, early indications show that the earthquake has done substantive damage on its own. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Monster Earthquake Rocks Anchorage, Alaska," 30 Nov. 2018 Shares of home-building companies are on pace for their best quarter in seven years as a drop in mortgage rates has given home buyers a reprieve. — Jessica Menton, WSJ, "Home-Builder Stocks Stage a Comeback," 26 Mar. 2019 But as this disparity is increasingly called out on social media and on YouTube, where vloggers like Nyma Tang and Jackie Aina are challenging the industry via impactful discussions on colorism, a slight reprieve has arrived. — Rawiya Kameir, Vogue, "After the Fenty Phenomenon, What’s Next for Inclusivity in Beauty?," 18 Mar. 2019 Another reason for the apparent reprieve this year is that the vast majority of flu cases have been caused by a strain of influenza A known as A(H1N1). — Betsy Mckay, WSJ, "This Common Flu Virus Is a Growing Threat," 14 Feb. 2019 President Donald Trump gave Rosenstein a three-day reprieve pending their face-to-face White House showdown on Thursday. — Zeke Miller, The Seattle Times, "Rosenstein’s job to be topic of Thursday meeting with Trump," 25 Sep. 2018 One company hoping for a reprieve is the French oil giant Total, which last year signed a $2 billion contract to develop the South Pars natural gas field. — Steven Mufson And Damian Paletta, chicagotribune.com, "Boeing, Airbus to lose deals with Trump's Iran sanctions," 9 May 2018 This year, many people expressed gratitude for the gentle breezes and sunshine, a welcome reprieve from the torrential rainstorms of past years. — New York Times, "There’s Only One Warren Buffett," 7 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reprieve.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.