relieve

[ ri-leev ]
/ rɪˈliv /

verb (used with object), re·lieved, re·liev·ing.

verb (used without object), re·lieved, re·liev·ing.

Baseball. to act as a relief pitcher: He relieved in 52 games for the Pirates last season.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
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Idioms for relieve

    to relieve oneself, to urinate or defecate.

Origin of relieve

1300–50; Middle English releven < Middle French relever to raise < Latin relevāre to reduce the load of, lighten, equivalent to re- re- + levāre to raise, derivative of levis light in weight

ANTONYMS FOR relieve

1 intensify.

synonym study for relieve

1. 2. 3. See comfort.

OTHER WORDS FROM relieve

Words nearby relieve

relief map, relief pitcher, relief valve, reliefer, relier, relieve, relieve oneself, relieve someone of, relieved, reliever, relieving arch
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for relieve oneself

relieve
/ (rɪˈliːv) /

verb (tr)

Derived forms of relieve

relievable, adjective

Word Origin for relieve

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

Medical definitions for relieve oneself

relieve
[ rĭ-lēv′ ]

v.

To cause a lessening or alleviation of something, such as pain, tension, or a symptom.
To free an individual from pain, anxiety, or distress.

Other words from relieve

re•liev′a•ble adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Idioms and Phrases with relieve oneself

relieve oneself

Urinate or defecate, as in The puppy relieved itself in the middle of the floor. The use of relieve for these bodily functions dates from the mid-1800s.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.