Skip to content
HOW TO PRONOUNCE

respite

/ˈɹɛs.pɪt/

Press play to hear how to pronounce respite.

American Pronunciation Guide · 0:49
Watch on YouTube ↗
LISTEN FOR THIS

RES-pit: use short e and short i.

Put the main stress on RES. The final e is silent, and the ending has the short i of “sit.”

TRY SAYING
The shade offered a brief respite from the heat.

APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

What does respite mean?

noun

  1. A brief interval of rest or relief.
  2. A reprieve, especially from a sentence of death.
  3. The delay of appearance at court granted to a jury beyond the proper term.
More meanings (3)

noun

  1. A short period of spoken dialogue in an otherwise sung-through musical.

verb

  1. To delay or postpone (an event).
  2. To allow (a person) extra time to fulfil some obligation.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈɹɛs.pɪt/

Pronunciation used in the listening tip.

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

The BLENHEIM then passing between them and the enemy, gave them a respite, and poured in her fire upon the Spaniards.
Robert SoutheyThe Life of Horatio, Lord NelsonProject Gutenberg ebook #947
At once she whirled to come at us, but the brief respite had allowed us to recover our own scattered wits.
Stewart Edward WhiteThe Land of FootprintsProject Gutenberg ebook #1378
More book examples (3)
My respite was short-lived however, for soon the entire party, numbering some thousand men, came charging into view, racing madly toward me.
Edgar Rice BurroughsA princess of MarsProject Gutenberg ebook #62
Sir John had gained a respite from the task he dreaded, the task of going in quest of a successor to Narcisse.
W. G., Mrs. WatersThe Cook's Decameron A Study in Taste, Containing over Two Hundred Recipes for Italian DishesProject Gutenberg ebook #930
Having stood still awhile he at last retraced his steps, and Henchard felt like a condemned man who has a few hours’ respite.
Thomas HardyThe Mayor of CasterbridgeProject Gutenberg ebook #143