repose

re·pose/ɹəˈpoʊz/verb, noun

repose is a verb meaning “To lean or recline, sit down, or lie down to rest; to rest” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is spelled R-E-P-O-S-E and has 2 syllables (re·pose), and it appears about once in every 2 million words in written English (wordfreq, 2021 data).

What does repose mean?

verb

1
archaicTo lay (someone, or part of their body) down to rest.
2
archaicTo rest (oneself), especially by going to sleep.
3
archaicFollowed by from or (obsolete) of: to cause (oneself) to take a rest from some activity; also, to allow (oneself) to recover from some activity.
4
obsoleteTo give (someone) rest; to refresh (someone) by giving rest.
5
obsoleteTo cause (oneself) to have faith in or rely on someone or something.
6
obsoleterareTo give (someone) accommodation for the night.
7
To lean or recline, sit down, or lie down to rest; to rest.
8
To die, to rest in peace.
Simon reposed in the year 1287.
9
To place (confidence, faith, or trust) in someone or something.
10
Followed by in: to entrust (duty, power, etc.) in someone; to confide.
11
archaicTo place (something), especially for safekeeping or storage; to deposit, to keep safe, to store.
12
obsoleteTo regard (something) as being embodied in another thing; to ascribe, to attribute.
13
obsoleterareTo establish or institute (something); to found.
14
obsoleterareTo throw (something); to cast.
15
To put (a body part) back in its usual location; to reposition.
16
obsoleteTo forcefully restrain (something); to repress, to suppress.
17
To pose (oneself or someone, or something) again.

noun

1
Temporary cessation from activity to rest and recover, especially in the form of sleep; rest; (countable) an instance of this; a break, a rest; a sleep.
2
Of the Virgin Mary: death; also assumption into heaven.
3
The festival honouring the assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven, celebrated on August 15.
4
The state of being peacefully inactive or relaxed, or being free from disturbances or worries; calmness, ease, peace, quietness.
5
Calmness of the mind or temperament; composure.
6
Of the face, a muscle, etc.: the state of being relaxed and not in tension.
7
The state of lying still and unmoving; calmness, tranquillity; (countable) an instance of this.
8
archaicRelief or respite from something exhausting or unpleasant; (countable) an instance of this.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you pronounce repose?

UK /ɹɪˈpəʊz/
US /ɹəˈpoʊz/
US /ɹi-/

Repose has 2 syllables, split re·pose in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-repose.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of repose

reposes present, singular, he/she/it, plural
reposing participle, present
reposed participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How common is repose?

Repose appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th most frequent word form in the list.

repose0.0010.010.11101001,00010,000

rarerper million words of written Englishmore common

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

Repose in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

Language	Words
Portuguese	repousar (to lean or recline, sit down, or lie down to…), repouso (temporary cessation from activity to rest and…)
Spanish	reposar (to lean or recline, sit down, or lie down to…), reposo (temporary cessation from activity to rest and…), quietud, tranquilidad (state of being peacefully inactive or relaxed…)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.