Skip to main content
rest

rest

6 5.5
A musical sign that shows a period of silence
  • noun
  • /rɛst/
  • Specialized
translation icon : silencio
  • Each song includes a time signature, bar lines, rests, and bow markings.
  • quarter rest
  • notes and rests
  • count rests

Examples

  • Sometimes an instrument has to wait for many measures of rest before its turn, too.

    Blog text (30)
  • The first line of music began with a whole note followed by a whole rest, during which I dutifully counted to four.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The music is shaped by the rest between the notes.

  • Unlike very young musicians, the seniors prefer music that includes some extended rests that enable them to prolong endurance, tone quality, and intonation.

    Academic text (1997)
  • My older pianists are encouraged to breathe through a phrase, inhaling on the anacrusis or rest and exhaling at the cadence.

    Academic text (2009)
  • In the musical score, each rest indicates how long the musicians should remain silent.

  • The composer carefully placed a rest to create a moment of pause between phrases.

  • During the performance, the conductor signaled for a rest after the chorus.

Idioms

35 3.7

Be sure that something will happen, so do not worry

to rest my case
  • Informal
11 6.5

To say you have finished and proved your point

7 7.7

To stop trying to improve after past success

7 2.4

Someone or something that is quiet and still and not moving

at rest
  • Formal
3 6.1

People say someone is not alive in a gentle, respectful way

2 4.4

People say this when what happens next is well known

rest his soul
  • Archaic
1 9.0

People say it to show respect for a man who has died

at rest
  • Specialized
1 5.1

Stored information that is not being sent or used

A wish that a dead man finds peace after death

Tired people must keep working or dealing with problems without a break

7.6

People say this when they have a lot of work and little rest

rest in piss
  • Offensive
9.9

A rude, joking way to show dislike for someone or something that is gone

Compounds

24 1.8

A place beside a road where people stop to rest, use toilets, or buy food

bed rest
  • Specialized
16 2.6

Staying in bed for health reasons when a doctor says so

8 2.3

A day when people do not work and relax, often for religious reasons

rest home
  • Archaic
8 3.4

A place where older people live and get care

7 1.6

A place beside a highway where drivers stop to rest and use toilets

eternal rest
  • Formal
5 7.1

A peaceful state after death that lasts forever

4 2.0

A day to relax and not work

3 2.5

A short time to relax and get energy back

chin rest
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A small support on a violin or viola that you put your chin on for comfort and stability while playing

rest area
  • Jargon
1 3.2

A safe place in a game where players heal and save progress

rest house
  • Archaic
1 4.6

A building where travelers can sleep and rest

rest mass
  • Specialized
1 7.4

The amount of matter in an object measured when it is not moving, not how heavy it feels

rest-cure
  • Archaic
1 8.4

A period of bed rest to help someone recover from stress or nervous problems

musket rest
  • Archaic
9.9

A forked pole about four feet long that supports a musket when you fire it

gun rest
  • Jargon
9.9

The top board on the side of a wooden boat that makes the side stronger

half rest
  • Specialized
6.1

A short silence in music that lasts two beats

quarter rest
  • Specialized
4.7

A music symbol showing silence for one beat

rest energy
  • Specialized
8.2

Energy equal to a particle's mass when it is not moving, calculated as mass times the speed of light squared

9.9

A plant with tough roots and pink or purple flowers

whole rest
  • Specialized
4.0

A silent part in music that usually lasts four beats

How Long

whole rest
  • Specialized
4.0
rest
  • Specialized
6 5.5

Surface Forms

rest singular
rests plural

Etymology

Rest in music comes from the basic idea of a 'stop' from old English ræst. A musical rest is a short silence, a pause where the sound stops.