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Glite Dictionary
to give it a rest

to give it a rest

45 6.9
To stop doing or talking about something because it annoys other people
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
: dejarlo
  • For goodness' sake, Erica, give it a rest already.
  • just give it a rest
  • Okay, give it a rest
  • please give it a rest

I said I don't like Jews, but I'm back, dude. Like it's like Kanye. Give it a rest, bud.

Examples

Synonyms

to let go
vsto give it a rest
655 3.7

To stop worrying about something and relax

means stop an action or talk because others find it annoying
to take a break
vsto give it a rest
543 1.4

To stop doing something for a short time to rest or relax before continuing

asks to stop entirely because it is getting annoying or excessive
to lay off
vsto give it a rest
  • Informal
118 3.4

Stop doing something that annoys someone

asks to cease because it is annoying or excessive
to take time out
vsto give it a rest
45 3.2

Stop what you are doing to rest or do something different for a short time

requests ending the topic because it has become annoying or excessive
to take a breather
vsto give it a rest
  • Informal
18 3.5

To stop and rest for a short time

tells someone to stop because it is annoying rather than for rest

Antonyms

to continue
∞ 1.0

To keep doing something without stopping

How Persistent

to persist
50 3.7
to continue
∞ 1.0
pause
169 1.0
to give it a rest
  • Informal
45 6.9

Surface Forms

give it a rest infinitive
giving it a rest present participle
gives it a rest third person singular
gave it a rest past
given it a rest past participle

Morphology

give + it + a + rest

The sense of 'rest' as a period of stopping activity aligns with the literal words, so a learner who knows 'give' and 'rest' can infer the idea of allowing something to stop or pause. However, the phrase is a colloquial imperative where 'it' is vague and the pragmatic force (telling someone to stop doing or talking about something) is idiomatic and requires conversational inference, so it is not fully predictable from the parts alone.

Etymology

Give it a rest comes from the simple image of letting something rest, like putting a tool down after hard use or leaving cooked food to sit so it is no longer active. Telling someone to give it a rest is like asking them to stop and be quiet, so it means 'stop doing or talking about something'.