relieve
Use Relieve in a sentence
verb (used with object)
1.
to ease or alleviate (pain, distress, anxiety, need, etc.).
2.
to free from anxiety, fear, pain, etc.
3.
to free from need, poverty, etc.
4.
to bring effective aid to (a besieged town, military position, etc.).
5.
to ease (a person) of any burden, wrong, or oppression, as by legal means.
6.
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.
a.
to free (a closed space, as a tank, boiler, etc.) of more than a desirable pressure or vacuum.
b.
to reduce (the pressure or vacuum in such a space) to a desirable level.
11.
Baseball. to replace (a pitcher).
verb (used without object)
12.
00:10
Relieve
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is fletcherise. Does it mean:
| chat, to converse |
| to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly. |
13.
to relieve oneself, to urinate or defecate.
Origin:
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
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
Related forms
re·liev·a·ble, adjective
vɪd non·re·liev·ing, adjective
qua·si-re·lieved, adjective
un·re·liev·a·ble, adjective
Synonyms
1. mitigate, assuage, allay, lighten, lessen, abate, diminish. See comfort. 1-4. aid, help, assist. 3. support, sustain. 4. succor.
1. mitigate, assuage, allay, lighten, lessen, abate, diminish. See comfort. 1-4. aid, help, assist. 3. support, sustain. 4. succor.
Antonyms
1. intensify.
1. intensify.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To relieve
Collins
World English Dictionary
relieve (rɪˈliːv) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 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 ( |
| 9. | relieve oneself to urinate or defecate |
| [C14: from Old French relever, from Latin relevāre to lift up, relieve, from | |
| re'lievable | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
relieve
c.1300, from O.Fr. relever "to raise, relieve" (11c.), from L. relevare "to raise, alleviate," from re-, intensive prefix, + levare "to lift up, lighten," from levis "not heavy" (see lever). The notion is "to raise (someone) out of trouble." Reliever in the baseball pitcher
sense is recorded from 1967. Related: relieved.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
relieve re·lieve (rĭ-lēv')
v. re·lieved, re·liev·ing, re·lieves
To cause a lessening or alleviation of something, such as pain, tension, or a symptom.
To free an individual from pain, anxiety, or distress.
re·liev'a·ble adj.
re·liev'er n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
The secretary, for instance, cannot relieve himself from the responsibility of his office by resigning.
But it is possible to correct some falsities and relieve some perplexities regarding essential facts.
With mobile banking on the rise, it follows that companies will try to relieve savers of their cash through the same channels.
Extra railway capacity is also planned, to relieve the overcrowding on commuter lines.
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