relieve

[ ri-leev ]

verb (used with object)

, re·lieved, re·liev·ing.

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)

, re·lieved, re·liev·ing.

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. relieve oneself
   to urinate or defecate

Derived Forms

• reˈlievable, adjective

Other Words From

• re·lieva·ble adjective
• re·liev·ed·ly [ri-, lee, -vid-lee], adverb
• nonre·lieving adjective
• quasi-re·lieved adjective
• unre·lieva·ble adjective
• unre·lieved adjective
• unre·lieved·ly adverb
• unre·lieving 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 mother-of-one needed the surgery to relieve her "debilitating" endometriosis and adenomyosis.

From BBC

In large clinical trials, monoclonal antibodies relieved osteoarthritis pain better than placebo or other drugs, but because some patients experienced worsening joint damage, the treatments were not approved.

From Science Daily

Despite the destruction and loss of life, officials are relieved that the incident was not worse.

From BBC

The robot masseuse kneaded my butt in just the right spots and even relieved shoulder tightness from hours of typing at my desk.

From Los Angeles Times

County sheriff’s deputies have been relieved of duty amid an investigation into their work for a 24-year-old cryptocurrency entrepreneur accused of extortion and hiding millions of dollars from tax collectors.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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