relieve

[ri-leev]

verb (used with object)

relieved, relieving 

1. to ease or alleviate (pain, distress, anxiety, need, etc.).

   Synonyms: diminish, abate, lessen, lighten, allay, assuage, mitigate
   Antonyms: intensify

2. to free from anxiety, fear, pain, etc.

3. to free from need, poverty, etc.

   Synonyms: sustain, support

4. to bring effective aid to (a besieged town, military position, etc.).

   Synonyms: succor, assist, help, aid

5. to ease (a person) of any burden, wrong, or oppression, as by legal means.

6. 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.

7. to make less tedious, unpleasant, or monotonous; break or vary the sameness of.

   curtains to relieve the drabness of the room.

8. to bring into relief or prominence; heighten the effect of.

9. to release (one on duty) by coming as or providing a substitute or replacement.

10. Machinery.

    1. to free (a closed space, as a tank, boiler, etc.) of more than a desirable pressure or vacuum.

    2. to reduce (the pressure or vacuum in such a space) to a desirable level.

11. Baseball.,  to replace (a pitcher).

verb (used without object)

relieved, relieving 

1. Baseball.,  to act as a relief pitcher.

   He relieved in 52 games for the Pirates last season.

relieve

/ rɪˈliːv /

verb

1. to bring alleviation of (pain, distress, etc) to (someone)

2. to bring aid or assistance to (someone in need, a disaster area, etc)

3. to take over the duties or watch of (someone)

4. to bring aid or a relieving force to (a besieged town, city, etc)

5. to free (someone) from an obligation

6. to make (something) less unpleasant, arduous, or monotonous

7. to bring into relief or prominence, as by contrast

8. informal,  (foll by of) to take from

   the thief relieved him of his watch

9. to urinate or defecate

Other Word Forms

• relievable adjective
• relievedly adverb
• nonrelieving adjective
• quasi-relieved adjective
• unrelievable adjective
• unrelieved adjective
• unrelievedly adverb
• unrelieving adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of relieve¹

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”; re-

Word History and Origins

Origin of relieve¹

C14: from Old French relever , from Latin relevāre to lift up, relieve, from _re- + levāre to lighten

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. to relieve oneself, to urinate or defecate.

Synonym Study

See comfort.

Example Sentences

The Chu family are relieved the trial didn't come to a halt and now hope Skyler may one day benefit from the same gene therapy as his brother.

Read more on BBC

With the players out on their feet, the Twickenham air still humming with tension, Argentina aggrieved and the England bench relieved, they couldn't.

Read more on BBC

Adult children who are not “chosen” may feel relieved of a burden, or they may feel rejected, and perhaps not for the first time.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"They were delighted and relieved when they saw it in the shops because it was a long time appearing," said Ms Lewis.

Read more on BBC

In a slow slip event, stresses that build for months to years are relieved in movements of only a few centimeters that occur gradually over days, weeks or months.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• allay 
• alleviate 
• assuage 
• calm 
• comfort 
• cure 
• diminish 
• ease 
• free 
• mitigate 
• relax 
• soothe 
• subdue