Respite1. (n.) A rest; a postponement or delay; a break.
2. (n.) Temporary intermission of labor, or of any process or operation; interval of rest; pause; delay.
3. (n.) Temporary suspension of the execution of a capital offender; reprieve.
4. (n.) The delay of appearance at court granted to a jury beyond the proper term.
5. (n.) To give or grant a respite to.
6. (n.) To delay or postpone; to put off.
7. (n.) To keep back from execution; to reprieve.
8. (n.) To relieve by a pause or interval of rest.
Thesaurus Entries
abeyance, afterthought, bind, block, blockage, blow, break, breath, breather, breathing, breathing place, breathing space, breathing spell, breathing time, bureaucratic delay, caesura, catharsis, cease-fire, cigarette break, cleansing, cocktail hour, coffee break, day off, delay, delayage, delayed reaction, deliverance, detention, discharge, double take, downtime, dragging, drop, emotional release, enforced respite, extension, freeing, grace, grant a reprieve, half time, half-time intermission, halt, hang-up, happy hour, hesitation, hiatus, hindrance, holdup, holiday, interim, interlude, intermezzo, intermission, intermittence, interregnum, interruption, interval, jam, lag, lagging, lapse, layoff, letup, logjam, lull, moratorium, obstruction, off-time, paperasserie, pause, plateau, point of repose, postponement, purgation, purge, purging, quiet spell, recess, red tape, red-tapeism, red-tapery, release, relief, remission, removal, reprieve, rest, resting point, retardance, retardation, slow-up, slowdown, slowness, spell, stand-down, stay, stay of execution, stop, stoppage, surcease, suspension, tea break, tie-up, time lag, time off, time out, truce, vacation, wait