rest

noun

/rest/

Idioms

jump to other results

remaining part/people/things

the rest

[singular] the part of something that remains

Take what you want and throw the rest away.
the rest of something The country enjoys friendly relations with the rest of the world.
How would you like to spend the rest of the day?
for the rest of something I'm not doing this job for the rest of my life.

the rest

[plural] the people or things that remain; the others

The first question was difficult, but the rest were pretty easy.
the rest of something Don't blame Alex. He's human, like the rest of us.

period of relaxing

[countable, uncountable] a period of relaxing, sleeping or doing nothing after a period of activity

I had a good night's rest.
We stopped for a well-earned rest.
rest from something to have/take a rest from all your hard work
Try to get some rest—you have a busy day tomorrow.
There are no matches tomorrow, which is a rest day, but the tournament resumes on Monday.

support

enlarge image

[countable] (often in compounds) an object that is used to support or hold something

an armrest (= for example on a seat or chair)

in music

enlarge image

[countable, uncountable] a period of silence between notes; a sign that shows a rest between notesTopics Musicc2

Word Originnoun senses 3 to 5 Old English ræst, rest (noun), ræstan, restan (verb), of Germanic origin, from a root meaning ‘league’ or ‘mile’ (referring to a distance after which one rests). noun senses 1 to 2 late Middle English: from Old French reste (noun), rester (verb), from Latin restare ‘remain’, from re- ‘back’ + stare ‘to stand’.

Idioms

and (all) the rest (of it)

(informal) used at the end of a list to mean everything else that you might expect to be on the list
- He wants a big house and an expensive car and all the rest of it.

and the rest

(informal) used to say that the actual amount or number of something is much higher than somebody has stated
- ‘It cost 250 pounds…’ ‘And the rest, and the rest!’

at rest

(specialist) not moving
- At rest the insect looks like a dead leaf.
dead and therefore free from trouble or worry. People say ‘at rest’ to avoid saying ‘dead’.
- She now lies at rest in the churchyard.
Topics Life stagesc2

come to rest

to stop moving
- The car crashed through the barrier and came to rest in a field.
- His eyes came to rest on Clara's face.
- The ball rolled down the hill and came to rest against a tree.

for the rest

(British English, formal) apart from that; considering other matters
- The book has some interesting passages about the author's childhood. For the rest, it is extremely dull.

give it a rest

(informal) used to tell somebody to stop talking about something because they are annoying you
- Give it a rest! You’ve been complaining all day.

give something a rest

(informal) to stop doing something for a while

lay somebody to rest

to bury somebody. People say ‘to lay somebody to rest’ to avoid saying ‘to bury’ somebody.
- George was laid to rest beside his parents.

lay/put something to rest

to stop something by showing it is not true
- The announcement finally laid all the speculation about their future to rest.

(there’s) no peace/rest for the wicked

(usually humorous) used when somebody is complaining that they have a lot of work to do

put/set somebody’s mind at ease/rest

to do or say something to make somebody stop worrying about something synonym reassure

the rest is history

used when you are telling a story to say that you do not need to tell the end of it, because everyone knows it already

rest

verb

/rest/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they rest	/rest/ /rest/
he / she / it rests	/rests/ /rests/
past simple rested	/ˈrestɪd/ /ˈrestɪd/
past participle rested	/ˈrestɪd/ /ˈrestɪd/
-ing form resting	/ˈrestɪŋ/ /ˈrestɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

jump to other results

relax

[intransitive, transitive] to relax, sleep or do nothing after a period of activity or illness; to not use a part of your body for some time

The doctor told me to rest.
(figurative) He won't rest (= will never be satisfied) until he finds her.
rest something He had to rest his injured knee for six weeks.
Rest your eyes every half an hour.

support

[transitive, intransitive] to support something by putting it on or against something; to be supported in this way

rest something + adv./prep. Rest your head on my shoulder.
He rested his chin in his hands.
+ adv./prep. Their bikes were resting against the wall.
I settled back, my hands resting in my lap.

Extra Examples

She rested the ladder against the wall.
She let his hand rest heavily on hers.
His hands rested lightly on her shoulders.
His hand was resting lazily against the steering wheel.
Her head was resting comfortably against his chest.
His chin rested on his hands.
Her thin hands were resting atop the quilted bed cover.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

casually
gently
lightly
…

verb + rest

let something
have to
need to
…

preposition

against
atop
in
…

phrases

rest easy

adverb

solely
squarely
entirely
…

adverb

squarely
ultimately

See full entry

be left

[intransitive] if you let a matter rest, you stop discussing it or dealing with it

The matter cannot rest there—I intend to sue.
And there the matter rested until an interested journalist uncovered the file.

be buried

[intransitive] + adv./prep. to be buried. People say ‘rest’ to avoid saying ‘be buried’

She rests beside her husband in the local cemetery.
May he rest in peace.