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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Dissimilar Words
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
Arkansas Online, 12 Mar. 2026
Continue reading … BORDER BATTLE — Appeals court grants Trump reprieve on deportations hours before block.
—FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Has Ollie Palmer just earned himself the most unlikely of Wrexham reprieves?
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reprieve
Noun
Earlier this week, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Ricks' request to commute his death sentence or grant a 90-day reprieve.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Mar. 2026
Continue reading … BORDER BATTLE — Appeals court grants Trump reprieve on deportations hours before block.
—FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
Newsom has issued 247 pardons, 160 commutations and 42 reprieves since taking office, his office said.
—Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Has Ollie Palmer just earned himself the most unlikely of Wrexham reprieves?
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reprieve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reprieve
Noun
-
My mother took only the slightest pause.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Last week, Borough President Vanessa Gibson said the multi-day event had been put on pause this year to the budget deficit.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Where Beyoncé added poetic interludes between songs, in Songs from the Hole, the audience learns about Jacobs' story and how his music spiritually liberates him while simultaneously being among the reasons officials cited for not granting him parole.—
Kara Frame,
NPR,
12 Mar. 2026
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His latest effort, SB 356, would bring the threshold for the elderly parole program back up to 60 years of age, following 25 years of consecutive incarceration.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For instance, teachers can use the Constitution to help students understand how the president was able to pardon rioters.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
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One pardoned corporate executive even touted his mother’s campaign donations in his application.—
Daniel Weiner,
Time,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
So, relieve yourself of that burden.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
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In his book, Oosterhoff recounts feeling guilty for hoping his father would die, and relieved when death ended his suffering.—
Charles Lane,
The Atlantic,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Just after that test, however, a problem popped up — an interruption in the flow of helium in the upper stage of Artemis 2's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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Oil prices ticked up Wednesday on worries of a sustained interruption to global flows.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The victim’s daughter – identified as Tori in Burton’s clemency petition – and some of the jurors in Burton’s case have backed his request for commutation.—
Elise Hammond,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
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Alan Jackson, the celebrity legal eagle, doesn’t recommend clients entrust their social media accounts to third parties —even if those clients crave commutations.—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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While discussing current events, and specifically the military conflict with Iran, Reid said that Iranians were justified in disliking the United States due to the 1953 coup in which Iran’s Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh was overthrown, an effort that Great Britain and the United States aided.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Mar. 2026
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The attack on the Michigan synagogue took place on the same day as a former Army National Guard member who served years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State group opened fire on a classroom at Old Dominion University in Virginia, killing one person and wounding two others.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Despite the 17-point margin on paper, the outcome was up for grabs at the break.—
Cody Thorn,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Leonard scored 10 in a row for the Clippers and Towns had eight straight for the Knicks, who trailed 64-55 at the break.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reprieve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reprieve. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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