I. re ‧ prieve 1 /rɪˈpriːv/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . a delay before something bad happens or continues to happen ⇨ respite
reprieve from
Shoppers will get a temporary reprieve from the new sales tax.
2 . an official order stopping the killing of a prisoner as a punishment
give/grant somebody a reprieve
The US Supreme Court voted against granting Smith a reprieve (=against giving him one) .
II. reprieve 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive usually passive]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Origin: Perhaps from Old French repris , past participle of reprendre ; ⇨ ↑ reprise ]
1 . to officially stop a prisoner from being killed as a punishment
2 . to change a decision to close a factory, school etc or get rid of something