reprieve.

1. A delay or cancellation of a punishment, especially a death sentence.

2. A temporary break from trouble, pressure, or an unpleasant situation.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• grant a reprieve
• receive a reprieve
• a last-minute reprieve

On the page

A last-minute reprieve arrived while the prisoner was being led from his cell.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: noun singular reprieve; plural reprieves. Verb reprieve; reprieves; reprieved; reprieved; reprieving. Writing functions: narrative tension, relief, law. Commonness: moderately common. Grammatical noun/verb uses of punishment share sense 1; figurative relief is sense 2.