respiteres‧pite /ˈrespɪt, -paɪt $ -pɪt/ noun [singular, uncountable] 
The trip was a welcome respite from the pressures of work. a brief respite from persecutionwithout respite The pain went on without respite.2a short period of time before you have to do something that you do not like: We have a few days’ respite before we have to pay them.
WORD ORIGINrespite
Origin:
1200-1300 Old French respit, from Medieval Latin respectus; ➔ RESPECT1EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Some mothers regard work as a welcome respite from the stress of looking after a home and children.
- The citizens had only a few days' respite from the conflict, before the shelling began again.
- The drug can only provide a brief respite in the pain.
- The noise went on all night, without a single moment's respite.
- Weathermen yesterday warned that there would be no respite from the gales.
- And now the archers were shooting at will, selecting their targets where they best offered, without haste and without respite.
- But the success brought only a short respite.
- For the Dwarfs it was a much needed respite.
- For the next five days we had no respite.
- He obtained from them a respite.
- There was no respite from them, nowhere to hide from them.
Longman Language Activatora period of time when you stop doing something
a long or short period when you stop your work or normal activities, before continuing them again later: · She returned to her job after a six-month break.break from: · After finishing school, Craig felt he needed a break from studying.lunch/coffee/tea break (=when you stop work to have lunch, coffee etc): · You get a one hour lunch break, and fifteen minutes for a coffee break in the afternoon.
written a short period during which you stop speaking or stop doing something before starting again: · After a long pause, Barney said: "Yes, I suppose you're right."pause in: · There was a pause in the conversation as everyone turned to say hello to Paul.a pregnant pause (=a pause when someone is expected to say something, especially something awkward or embarrassing): · "Where's Matt?" There was a long and pregnant pause.
a short time when something unpleasant stops happening so that the situation is temporarily better: · The noise went on all night, without a single moment's respite.respite from: · The citizens had only a few days' respite from the conflict, before the shelling began again.be no/little respite: · Weathermen yesterday warned that there would be no respite from the gales.a brief/short-lived/temporary respite: · The drug can only provide a brief respite from the pain.a welcome respite: · Some mothers regard work as a welcome respite from the stress of looking after a home and children.
a short time when something unpleasant stops happening so that the situation is temporarily better. Letup is more informal than respite: · There was a short letup in the downpour after lunch.without (a) letup: · The fighting raged without a letup through the night,letup in: · Kline warned against any letup in the pilot's concentration.
a temporary break in busy activity, noise, talking, fighting etc: · There was a lull, and then the thunder came again.lull in: · Managers at Metrocentre have reported a lull in the recession, as takings continue to soar.· For two days there had been a lull in the fighting.· I waited for a lull in the conversation, before getting up to go.
a short time when you stop doing something difficult, tiring etc, so that people have time to think more clearly about the situation: · At last a temporary agreement was reached, which gave both sides a breathing space.breathing space to do something: · After the divorce, I badly needed some breathing space to try and rebuild my life.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY a brief respite from persecutionCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
1a short time when something bad stops happening, so that the situation is temporarily betterrespite from a brief respite from persecution· Nearby, the remainder of the squadron was stirring after a brief respite in a busy twenty-four period.· It is a brief respite: the squad is soon returned to the valley where they are ordered to attack Hill 937.· The mess sergeant arrived with a brief respite: Captain Apgood was at the back door.· Follow this to a brief respite and winding shed.· There have only been brief respites.· The brief respite before the pests could fight back reflects the wait for a mutation.· However, after a brief respite at Ossett everyone agreed to continue.· Then he, too, requires a brief respite from corporeal entombment.
· What is heroin anyway, but a dark shadow, a temporary respite, smoked between one and a few hundred times?· But this proved to be a temporary respite, and by 1921 registered unemployment was over 2 million.
· It had been a welcome respite in a cruel and anguished time.· The tent is air-conditioned, making it a welcome respite on the hottest days.· Intragroup rituals build cohesiveness, offer a welcome respite from long hours and high pressure, and imbue the enterprise with meaning.· For most people at Cu Chi, the traditional Tet truce was anticipated as a welcome respite.· Fighting back seasickness, Jeff Whitworth, an ex-Marine, got a welcome respite.
NOUN· This has worked well for both permanent and respite care.· Any possibility of further reductions in respite care should be strenuously resisted.· Coupled with the financial implications if carers decided they could no longer shoulder this burden the case for supporting respite care becomes overwhelming.· Some proposals include provision of a day centre and respite care.· It briefly outlines activities such as helplines, respite care services and consultation on community care proposals.· A private care home in my constituency accepted an elderly lady for respite care.· It is also developing a respite care service.· A carers group might help, but what about some form of respite care for both the carer and the son?
VERB· Counselling, information and advice giving, respite from caring on a regular basis can all help.· This had the advantage of giving a Christmas respite of six weeks.· From then on all Schumacher had to do was keep cool, but Hakkinen gave him no respite.· They slowed to give themselves a respite but realized in the succeeding moment that they had run into a dead end.· Calcavecchia was again first out in the afternoon and he gave poor Meshiai no respite, scoring 66 to a 73.· Particularly away to Stuttgart when Leeds were desperate for some one to hold on to the ball to give the defence some respite.
· Intragroup rituals build cohesiveness, offer a welcome respite from long hours and high pressure, and imbue the enterprise with meaning.· At Macy's Plaza, a pianist gracefully serenades shoppers and a fountain offers a soothing respite from the pounding sidewalks outside.
· It was the latter that was to provide a respite as the Prussians paused in their advance to loot.· He can also take over the parenting role and provide her with respite from the rigours of what is a twenty-four-hour-a-day job.· The boat trip should have provided some respite but it is difficult to see how.
The trip was a welcome respite from the pressures of work. a brief respite from persecutionwithout respite The pain went on without respite.2a short period of time before you have to do something that you do not like: We have a few days’ respite before we have to pay them.