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relieve
[ri-leev]
verb (used with object)
to ease or alleviate (pain, distress, anxiety, need, etc.).
Synonyms: , , , , , ,Antonyms:to free from anxiety, fear, pain, etc.
to free from need, poverty, etc.
Synonyms: ,to bring effective aid to (a besieged town, military position, etc.).
Synonyms: , , ,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.
to free (a closed space, as a tank, boiler, etc.) of more than a desirable pressure or vacuum.
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.
relieve
/ ɪˈː /
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
Other Word Forms
- relievable adjective
- relievedly adverb
- nonrelieving adjective
- quasi-relieved adjective
- unrelievable adjective
- unrelieved adjective
- unrelievedly adverb
- unrelieving adjective
- ˈ𱹲 adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of relieve1
Idioms and Phrases
to relieve oneself, to urinate or defecate.
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
When Brian woke up after the surgery he felt "relieved" and immediately asked if his son was well.
But he made a three at the last, allowing a relieved smile to pass his lips.
It’s harder to find a discreet place to relieve herself; she must deal with monthly periods; and, at first, she is the weakest and slowest of the Hotshots.
Biden’s efforts to relieve the burden on millions of student borrowers were stymied by federal court rulings in lawsuits brought by conservative activists.
Had Spurs lost to United, it is widely acknowledged Postecoglou would have been relieved of his duties before now.
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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.
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