rest
restremaining part/people/things
1 [singular] the rest (of something) the remaining part of somethingI'm not doing this job for the rest of my life.How would you like to spend the rest of the day?Take what you want and throw the rest away.2 [plural] the rest (of something) the remaining people or things; the othersDon't blame Alex. He's human, like the rest of us.The first question was difficult, but the rest were pretty easy.period of relaxing
3 [countable, uncountable] a period of relaxing, sleeping or doing nothing after a period of activityI 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 workTry 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
4 [countable] (often in compounds) an object that is used to support or hold somethingan armrest (= for example on a seat or chair)in music
5 [countable, uncountable] a period of silence between notes; a sign that shows a rest between notesIdioms
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 listHe 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
1 (technical) not movingAt rest the insect looks like a dead leaf.2 dead and therefore free from trouble or anxiety. People say ‘at rest’ to avoid saying ‘dead’She now lies at rest in the churchyard.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.for the rest
(British English, formal) apart from that; as far as other matters are concernedThe 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 youGive it a rest! You've been complaining all day.give something a rest
(informal) to stop doing something for a whilelay 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.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
Usage note: restbreak respite time out breathing spaceThese are all words for a short period of time spent relaxing.rest a period of relaxing, sleeping or doing nothing after a period of activity: We stopped for a well-earned rest.break a short period of time when you stop what you are doing and rest or eat: Let's take a break. In British English break is a period of time between lessons at school. The North American English word is recess.respite a short break from something difficult or unpleasant: The drug brought a brief respite from the pain.time out (informal, especially North American English) time for resting or relaxing away from your usual work or studies: Take time out to relax by the pool.breathing space a short rest in the middle of a period of mental or physical effort: This delay gives the party a breathing space in which to sort out its policies.(a) rest/break/respite/time out from somethingto have/take (a) rest/break/time outto give somebody (a) rest/break/respite/breathing space