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relaxer

American  
[ri-laks-er] / rɪˈlæks ər /

noun

  1. a chemical product applied to curly hair to straighten it, or the treatment that consists of applying this product.

  2. a person or thing that relaxes, especially a prescription drug that causes tense or spasmed muscles to relax.


relaxer British  
/ rɪˈlæksə /

noun

  1. a person or thing that relaxes, esp a substance used to straighten curly hair

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

The company also had to recall more than 135,000 vials of vecuronium bromide, a muscle relaxer used during surgery, after reports that the medication contained glass particles.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2025

Relatives have encouraged her to get a relaxer.

From New York Times ● Oct. 27, 2022

The put-downs were so merciless that she got her first “kiddie perm,” but the chemical relaxer made her hair fall out.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2022

Over this wallpaper, Bey used gallons of relaxer to spell out the words “PICKY HEAD” — Caribbean slang for someone with unkempt hair — in large white capital letters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2021

“Ouch. Careful. I have a bit of relaxer burn.”

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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