relieve
Americanverb (used with object)
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to ease or alleviate (pain, distress, anxiety, need, etc.).
- Antonyms:
- intensify
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to free from anxiety, fear, pain, etc.
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to free from need, poverty, etc.
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to bring effective aid to (a besieged town, military position, etc.).
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to ease (a person) of any burden, wrong, or oppression, as by legal means.
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to reduce (a pressure, load, weight, etc., on a device or object under stress).
to relieve the steam pressure; to relieve the stress on the supporting walls.
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to make less tedious, unpleasant, or monotonous; break or vary the sameness of.
curtains to relieve the drabness of the room.
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to bring into relief or prominence; heighten the effect of.
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to release (one on duty) by coming as or providing a substitute or replacement.
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Machinery.
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to free (a closed space, as a tank, boiler, etc.) of more than a desirable pressure or vacuum.
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to reduce (the pressure or vacuum in such a space) to a desirable level.
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Baseball. to replace (a pitcher).
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb
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to bring alleviation of (pain, distress, etc) to (someone)
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to bring aid or assistance to (someone in need, a disaster area, etc)
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to take over the duties or watch of (someone)
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to bring aid or a relieving force to (a besieged town, city, etc)
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to free (someone) from an obligation
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to make (something) less unpleasant, arduous, or monotonous
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to bring into relief or prominence, as by contrast
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informal (foll by of) to take from
the thief relieved him of his watch
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to urinate or defecate
Synonym Usage
See comfort.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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unrelievedadjective
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unrelievingadjective
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quasi-relievedadjective
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relievedlyadverb
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nonrelievingadjective
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unrelievableadjective
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relievableadjective
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unrelievedlyadverb
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has relievedperfect 3rd person singular
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have relievedperfect
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are relievingprogressive
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am relievingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been relievingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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relievingparticiple
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have been relievingperfect progressive
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relievessingular 3rd person
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is relievingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had relievedperfect
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had been relievingperfect progressive
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relievedsimple
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was relievingprogressive singular
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were relievingprogressive plural
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relievedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of relieve
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English releven from Middle French relever “to raise,” from Latin relevāre “to reduce the load of, lighten,” equivalent to re- “again, again and again”+ levāre “to raise,” derivative of levis “light in weight”; see re-
Explanation
To relieve is to ease a burden or take over for someone. An aspirin can relieve a headache, and a substitute can relieve the teacher who fell asleep on her desk after lunch. Relieve comes from the Latin word relevare meaning "to help" or "make light again." An ice pack might relieve a pain in your elbow, but you can also be relieved of your duties if you get fired (or taken out to lunch). A thief might even relieve you of your wallet. Like thief, relieve is the rare word that actually follows the "i" before "e" rule ("i" before "e" except after "c" or when sounded as "a" as in "neighbor" and "weigh"). Aren't you relieved?
Vocabulary lists containing relieve
The Circuit
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How I Became a Ghost
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Slam!
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was set up to relieve the effects of poverty and promote regeneration in the area.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
“It helps relieve the immediate pressure, but it does not solve the underlying supply tension,” he said.
From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026
Much more research is needed before doctors can determine whether these medications can actually reduce inflammation or relieve symptoms inside the joints.
From Science Daily • May 22, 2026
Landline Chief Executive David Sunde said big hub airports need to think about ways to relieve pressure from the crush of passengers as demand for air travel increases.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
He was supposed to get me a few hours ago to relieve him, but he tried to soldier through the night on his own.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
