Skip to the word

Added 8 October 2026

rest

/ɹɛst/ noun

In Latin: requiēs Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about rest at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Relief from work or activity by sleeping; sleep.
I need to get a good rest tonight; I was up late last night.
Any relief from exertion; a state of quiet and relaxation.
We took a rest at the top of the hill to get our breath back.
Peace; freedom from worry, anxiety, annoyances; tranquility.
It was nice to have a rest from the phone ringing when I unplugged it for a while.

verb

To cease from action, motion, work, or performance of any kind; stop; desist; be without motion.
My day's work is over; now I will rest.
To come to a pause or an end; end.
To be free from that which harasses or disturbs; be quiet or still; be undisturbed.

noun

That which remains.
She ate some of the food, but was not hungry enough to eat it all, so she put the rest in the refrigerator to finish later.
Those not included in a proposition or description; the remainder; others.
A surplus held as a reserved fund by a bank to equalize its dividends, etc.; in the Bank of England, the balance of assets above liabilities.

verb

To continue to be, remain, be left in a certain way.
You can rest assured that a sick child will say when it's again ready to eat, so it won't starve and doesn't need to be cajoled into eating.
To keep a certain way.
God rest you merry, gentlemen.

Origin

From Middle English rest, reste, from Old English ræst, from Proto-West Germanic *rastu, from Proto-Germanic *rastō, of uncertain origin; possibly derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁- (“to rest”) or *Hre(h₁)s- (“to flow, rush”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word