relieve
Americanverb (used with object)
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to ease or alleviate (pain, distress, anxiety, need, etc.).
- Antonyms:
- intensify
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to free from anxiety, fear, pain, etc.
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to free from need, poverty, etc.
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to bring effective aid to (a besieged town, military position, etc.).
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to ease (a person) of any burden, wrong, or oppression, as by legal means.
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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.
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to make less tedious, unpleasant, or monotonous; break or vary the sameness of.
curtains to relieve the drabness of the room.
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to bring into relief or prominence; heighten the effect of.
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to release (one on duty) by coming as or providing a substitute or replacement.
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Machinery.
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to free (a closed space, as a tank, boiler, etc.) of more than a desirable pressure or vacuum.
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to reduce (the pressure or vacuum in such a space) to a desirable level.
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Baseball. to replace (a pitcher).
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb
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to bring alleviation of (pain, distress, etc) to (someone)
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to bring aid or assistance to (someone in need, a disaster area, etc)
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to take over the duties or watch of (someone)
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to bring aid or a relieving force to (a besieged town, city, etc)
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to free (someone) from an obligation
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to make (something) less unpleasant, arduous, or monotonous
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to bring into relief or prominence, as by contrast
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informal (foll by of) to take from
the thief relieved him of his watch
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to urinate or defecate
Related Words
See comfort.
Other Word Forms
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?
Vocabulary lists containing relieve
The Circuit
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How I Became a Ghost
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Slam!
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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.
It points to a measurable chemical difference inside the brain, but it does not prove that low dietary choline causes anxiety or that increasing choline will relieve symptoms.
From Science Daily • May 16, 2026
That money could equally well be used to pay down the federal debt, relieve student loans, or provide better public education.
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
The idea is to relieve pressure on the yen, with policymakers viewing the surge in energy prices as a key driver of the currency’s weakness against the dollar.
From MarketWatch • May 2, 2026
Compulsions are the repetitive acts that can be mental or physical that the individual feels compelled to do to temporarily relieve the stress of obsessions.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
We turn to music to feel better, relieve anxiety, overcome a difficult situation, find calm and peace, or feel empowered and fearless.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
