Meaning & use
respite
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A short break from something hard or painful, during which you can recover.
Grammar: Often a respite, or without an article: a brief respite; offer respite.
Patterns
- respite from something
- a respite for someone
The cool breeze gave us respite from the heat.
The patient had a brief respite from the pain.
Nurses worked all night with no respite.
noununcountablespecialist
Temporary care of a sick, elderly or disabled person by someone else, to give the main carer a rest.
Grammar: Usually appears before a noun: respite care.
Patterns
- respite care
- a respite service
The family arranged a week of respite care for their grandfather.
The charity offers respite for parents of disabled children.
She used respite days to rest and see friends.
nouncountableformallegal
A delay allowed before a penalty or duty takes effect.
Grammar: Formal or legal; usually singular: a respite of two weeks.
Patterns
- a respite of something
The court granted a respite before the sentence was carried out.
The bank gave the company a respite of thirty days.
The storm gave the town a short respite before the flood.
Word forms
| plural | respites |
|---|
Common combinations
- brief respite
- A brief respite from the rain let us finish the picnic.
- welcome respite
- Sunday was a welcome respite after a busy week.
- offer respite
- The program offers respite to tired caregivers.
- respite from the heat
- We sat under the tree for respite from the heat.
- without respite
- The bombing continued without respite.
- respite care
- Respite care lets families take a short holiday.
Synonyms and how they differ
- break
- Is the everyday word for any pause, while respite suggests relief from something difficult.
- relief
- Can be permanent and focuses on the feeling of the trouble lifting, unlike the temporary respite.
- lull
- Describes a quiet period in a storm or busy time and does not suggest rest for a person.
- reprieve
- Means a cancellation or delay of something bad, such as a punishment.
Opposites
Word family
- unrelenting adjective
- giving no respite
- respite care noun
- short-term care that gives carers a break
Commonly confused: respite or respect? respite or despite?
respite vs respect
Respect means admiration or care for someone; respite means a pause from trouble.
respite vs despite
Despite is a preposition meaning in spite of; respite is a noun for a rest.
Practice
The nurses finally got a ____ at midnight when the emergency room emptied.
Choose one answer.
A respite is a short rest from hard work. Respect, response and reserve are real nouns but do not mean a break.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “respite”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.