rest

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈrest 

1

: repose, sleep

specifically : a bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities

2

a

: freedom from activity or labor

b

: a state of motionlessness or inactivity

c

: the repose of death

3

: a place for resting or lodging

4

: peace of mind or spirit

5

a(1)

: a rhythmic silence in music

(2)

: a character representing such a silence

b

: a brief pause in reading

6

: something used for support

Illustration of rest

• 1 whole
• 2 half
• 3 quarter
• 4 eighth
• 5 sixteenth

rest

2 of 4

verb

rested; resting; rests

intransitive verb

1

a

: to get rest by lying down

especially : sleep

b

: to lie dead

2

: to cease from action or motion : refrain from labor or exertion

3

: to be free from anxiety or disturbance

4

: to sit or lie fixed or supported

a column rests on its pedestal

5

a

: to remain confident : trust

cannot rest on that assumption

b

: to be based or founded

the verdict rested on several sound precedents

6

: to remain for action or accomplishment

the answer rests with you

7

of farmland : to remain idle or uncropped

8

: to bring to an end voluntarily the introduction of evidence in a law case

transitive verb

1

: to give rest to

2

: to set at rest

3

: to place on or against a support

4

: to cause to be firmly fixed

rested all hope in his child

5

: to desist voluntarily from presenting evidence pertinent to (a case at law)

rester noun

rest

3 of 4

noun (2)

: a projection or attachment on the side of the breastplate of medieval armor for supporting the butt of a lance

rest

4 of 4

noun (3)

: something that remains over : remainder

ate the rest of the candy

Phrases

at rest

1

: resting or reposing especially in sleep or death

2

: quiescent, motionless

3

: free of anxieties

for the rest

: with regard to remaining issues or needs

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• decompression
• ease
• leisure
• relaxation
• repose

Verb

• bask
• kick back
• loll
• lounge
• relax
• repose

Noun (3)

• balance
• leavings
• leftovers
• odds and ends
• remainder
• remains
• remnant
• residue
• residuum

Examples of rest in a Sentence

Verb

We will not rest until we discover the truth.

The workers were resting in the shade.

He is resting comfortably after his ordeal.

She went to her room to rest for a while.

The coach canceled practice to rest his team.

He rested his horse before continuing the journey.

You should rest your eyes after all that reading.

The pitcher needs to rest his arm.

The spoon was resting in the cup.

The house rests on a concrete foundation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Two inches of foam provide a comfortable seat or knee rest while weeding and planting. —Rachel Ahrnsen, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Apr. 2024

As plenty of us know, weed can be great for feeling less keyed up, but that’s not the same as real rest. —Ali Finney, SELF, 19 Apr. 2024

Special counsel Jack Smith, however, has said the charges against Trump rest on stronger grounds because Trump allegedly schemed to submit false slates of electors to Congress. —David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024

My stay concluded with another workshop on infant safety and CPR, dinner, another full night of uninterrupted rest, and a debrief session with my Care lead about needs, next steps, and options to continue receiving support from the Boram Community throughout and beyond the newborn stage. —Rivea Ruff, Essence, 16 Apr. 2024

American attitudes toward taking time off are very different from European ones, which tend to put more value on vacation time and rest, said Schrabram, who is German. —Colleen Newvine, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024

Her character, Lee, is a skilled photojournalist, and if your mind doesn’t automatically leap to Lee Miller, celebrated for her stunning images of the Second World War, rest assured that Garland’s script is eager to connect the dots. —Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024

But considering the scale and intensity of the war against Russia, coming up with a system of rest will prove difficult to implement. —Samya Kullab and Illia Novikov, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2024

Also, prioritize rest and nutrition above all things. —India Espy-Jones, Essence, 11 Apr. 2024

Verb

This approach is reflected in her space’s clean, calming, somewhat Brutalist interior design — a mirror resting on cinder blocks, gray everywhere — the look of which took inspiration from artists’ lofts and Le Corbusier, the Swiss French architect who died in 1965. —Devorah Lev-Tov Kin Woo Ella Riley-Adams Jameson Montgomery Kurt Soller Megan O’Sullivan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024

The Panthers, who rested defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Tuesday, have two key injury concerns. —Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024

In one sweet photo, Bowman Jr. wears a brown zip-up sweater and holds Noa, who rests in his arms. —Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024

Large trees, shrubs and gardens help provide hummingbirds with not only food but also a sense of protection and a place for resting in between meals. —Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 10 Apr. 2024

For the whole family, their Hillsboro visit is a time to rest and enjoy the festivities. —Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024

The park, which was formerly known as Patrick’s Point, was renamed in 2021 as part of the California State Parks’ Reexamining our Past Initiative to honor the Yurok people on whose land the park rests. —Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024

The best part: every person could rest assured that their stay used 70 percent less water consumption than staying at an average hotel. —Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024

She can often be seen resting in the exhibit or exploring slowly. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German rasta rest and perhaps to Old High German ruowa calm

Noun (2)

Middle English reste, literally, stoppage, short for areste, from Anglo-French arest, from arester to arrest

Noun (3)

Middle English, from Anglo-French reste, from rester to remain, from Latin restare, from re- + stare to stand — more at stand

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rest

• at rest
• bed rest
• come to rest
• eighth rest
• for the rest
• give it a rest
• give (something) a rest
• half rest
• lay/put (something) to rest
• lay (someone) to rest
• let (something) rest
• quarter rest
• rest area
• rest assured
• rest easy
• rest home
• rest house
• rest in peace
• rest mass
• rest on/upon
• rest/sit on one's laurels
• rest stop
• rest with
• set/put someone's mind at ease/rest
• sixteenth rest
• sixty-fourth rest
• the rest
• the rest is history
• the rest of the world
• thirty-second rest
• whole rest

Kids Definition

rest

1 of 3 noun

ˈrest 

1

: sleep entry 1 sense 1

2

a

: freedom from activity

b

: a state marked by lack of motion or activity

3

: a place for resting or lodging

4

a

: a silence in music equal in time to a note of the same name

b

: a character standing for such a silence

5

: something used for support

a head rest

rest

2 of 3 verb

1

a

: to get rest by lying down : sleep

b

: to give rest to

c

: to lie dead

2

: to not take part in work or activity

3

: to be free from anxiety or disturbance

4

: to place or be placed for or as if for support

5

a

: to be based or founded

b

: to fix or be fixed in hope or confidence

rested their hopes on their children

6

: to stop presenting evidence in a law case

the defense rests

rest

3 of 3 noun

: something that is left over or behind : remainder

ate the rest of the soup

Medical Definition

rest

1 of 3 noun

ˈrest 

1

: a state of repose or sleep see bed rest

2

: cessation or temporary interruption of motion, exertion, or labor

rest from hard physical effort

a ten-minute rest period

3

: a bodily state (as that attained by a fasting individual lying supine) characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities

the patient must have complete rest

4

: the part of a partial denture that rests on an abutment tooth, distributes stresses, and holds the clasp in position

5

: a firm but moldable cushion used to raise or support a portion of the body during surgery

a kidney rest

rest

2 of 3 intransitive verb

1

: to get rest by lying down

especially : sleep

2

: to cease from action or motion : refrain from labor or exertion

transitive verb

: to give rest to

rest your eyes

rest

3 of 3 noun

: a mass of surviving embryonic cells or of cells misplaced in development

most tumors derived from embryonic rests are benign

—Shields Warren

Legal Definition

rest

intransitive verb

: to bring to an end voluntarily the introduction of evidence in a case

the defense rests

transitive verb

: to cease presenting evidence pertinent to (a case)