Synonyms

relieve

American

[ri-leev] / rɪˈliv /

verb (used with object)

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

Synonyms:

diminish, abate, lessen, lighten, allay, assuage, mitigate

Antonyms:

intensify
to free from anxiety, fear, pain, etc.
to free from need, poverty, etc.

Synonyms:

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

Synonyms:

succor, assist, help, aid
to ease (a person) of any burden, wrong, or oppression, as by legal means.
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.
to make less tedious, unpleasant, or monotonous; break or vary the sameness of.

curtains to relieve the drabness of the room.
to bring into relief or prominence; heighten the effect of.
to release (one on duty) by coming as or providing a substitute or replacement.
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.
Baseball. to replace (a pitcher).

verb (used without object)

Baseball. to act as a relief pitcher.

He relieved in 52 games for the Pirates last season.

idioms

to relieve oneself, to urinate or defecate.

relieve British

/ rɪˈliːv /

verb

to bring alleviation of (pain, distress, etc) to (someone)
to bring aid or assistance to (someone in need, a disaster area, etc)
to take over the duties or watch of (someone)
to bring aid or a relieving force to (a besieged town, city, etc)
to free (someone) from an obligation
to make (something) less unpleasant, arduous, or monotonous
to bring into relief or prominence, as by contrast
informal (foll by of) to take from

the thief relieved him of his watch
to urinate or defecate

"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

Synonym Usage

See comfort.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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?

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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.

See Examples For:

relieve relieves relieved relieving

Although the device has demonstrated promising results in early testing, its ability to relieve chronic pain or improve movement disorders in human patients has not yet been established.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

That GLP-s can either relieve back and knee pain or bring on musculoskeletal issues due to rapid weight loss is indicative of how little we know about how these powerful medications work.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Anduril’s new facility could add nine million labor hours a year to the Virginia-class industrial base, a 15% boost that should relieve other facilities and help put the boats together faster.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

To temporarily relieve price pressure, the Group of Seven wealthy nations on Oct.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

“It’s a regiment of Marines come to relieve us,” the colonel cheered.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

“That relieves pressure on the market, and so we have seen vacancies go up, even though we’re not building”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Homan suggested ICE agents would cover entry and exit points so "that relieves that TSA officer to go to screening and to reduce those lines".

From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026

“Writing it all down relieves that burden 100%,” said Francis, whose firm has created a downloadable booklet to help the process.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 10, 2026

AI relieves humans not of creativity but of drudgery—the rote, time-consuming tasks that have always consumed more human energy than inspiration ever did.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 10, 2025

On the negative side, arts teachers are seen as separate “specialists,” which erroneously relieves the classroom teacher of any responsibility for incorporating the arts into the daily classroom experience.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

According to a photo from the scene, one appeared to have blood on its hind leg; the other appeared relieved to have its friend back.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

Mileva, a mother of four in Phoenixville, Pa., wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or even more concerned.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

Lawyers for both men told Canadian media that their clients had long maintained their innocence and were relieved to be able to move forward with their lives.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Our scientist is relieved to discover that most of the unusual tremors are tiny — too weak to have been felt.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

The mayor and the board members and the sheriff all looked relieved until Upton added, “Pay me ten thousand dollars and I’ll stop right now!”

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

Still, the prospect of relieving pain while potentially slowing cartilage deterioration makes personalized walking adjustments an intriguing addition to the available treatment options.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

“Older debtors are hopeful this passes and it’s a tiny step towards relieving their burden.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

There’s no real harm in relieving that stress by laughing at the antics of President Camacho.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

The drug was also effective in relieving obesity-linked conditions, including knee pain, sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes, the company said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

The sun has gone down, relieving us of its burning rays.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023