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relax
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
relax
verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a confident/optimistic/relaxed etc mood
▪ At the beginning of the negotiations, he was in a confident mood.
a relaxed/friendly/informal atmosphere
▪ Helen's flat has a very relaxed atmosphere.
a relaxing/leisurely drink (=that you drink in a slow relaxed way)
▪ The hotel terrace is an ideal place to enjoy a relaxing drink.
in a good/positive/relaxed etc frame of mind
▪ She returned from lunch in a happier frame of mind.
loosen/relax your grip (=hold something less tightly)
▪ Lee loosened his grip on the dog’s collar.
loosen/relax your hold
▪ Laughing, he loosened his hold until she could pull her arms free.
pleasant/relaxing/friendly etc ambience
▪ The restaurant’s new owners have created a welcoming ambience.
relax regulations (=make them less strict)
▪ He has voted in favor of relaxing environmental regulations.
relax the rules (=make them less strict)
▪ Britain relaxed its immigration rules.
relax your muscles (=make them feel less tight)
▪ A hot bath will help relax sore muscles.
relax/ease restrictions (=make them less strict)
▪ There are restrictions on travel to Cuba by American citizens.
relaxed
▪ On Bali, there is a healthier, more relaxed attitude to life.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
again
▪ Her hands curled slowly into fists, the nails scoring the soft palms until she winced, and let them relax again.
▪ As soon as they sit down and relax again, this irresistible urge returns.
▪ Lift your legs slightly against the force of gravity, holding them for at least ten seconds, then let them relax again.
▪ She stirred, a slight frown creasing her forehead, but her face relaxed again, and became peaceful.
more
▪ For this interview, talking just for the hell of it, he was immeasurably more relaxed.
▪ People are more relaxed, more volatile.
▪ This allowed the senior referees to relax more with their refereeing and the games flowed accordingly.
▪ As a focus group later revealed, the more relaxed tone won the readers' interest.
▪ Arid as I became more relaxed our love life returned to how it was before the children came along.
▪ The weekends will include work but at a more relaxed pace.
▪ But suits are more relaxed, often in bright colours and, again, no longer compulsory.
▪ In the process of teaching me, she became more relaxed, and smiled.
very
▪ They were very relaxed about it.
▪ It seemed to Verence that he was lying in a nice warm bath, which was very relaxing and comfortable.
▪ Female speaker It's very relaxing.
▪ He's very relaxed, she thought.
▪ They were both sitting, this time, though the man's austerity had relaxed very little further than that.
▪ They were very relaxed and Skip conveys the feeling that they were treating it more as a cruise than a race.
▪ It's very relaxing to walk across the grass and get away from cars and buildings.
▪ Moving on through the evening-they are very relaxed, as they eat dinner.
■ NOUN
atmosphere
▪ During the evening paseo the atmosphere is more relaxed, but still quite formal.
▪ The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed.
▪ I found the atmosphere relaxed and very refreshing.
▪ The atmosphere was relaxed with little pressure for performance.
▪ These will be simpler for the candidate to answer and will therefore help to keep the atmosphere relaxed.
attitude
▪ It may be that a relaxed and cheerful attitude to socializing is the real protective against heart disease.
body
▪ It is often startling how people's faces soften and their bodies relax after crying.
▪ As her mouth fell innocently open and her body relaxed, Ludovico Castelfranco examined her closely.
▪ He was asleep but his body had not yet relaxed.
▪ Robyn lay, eyes closed, and concentrated on keeping her mind blank and her body relaxed.
▪ His body had now completely relaxed after his frantic efforts with Molly a few minutes before.
▪ Gazzer felt his tired body relax as the heat unknotted tense and aching muscles.
▪ The hand on her knee withdrew and Lucenzo's body relaxed.
control
▪ As a result, some countries are now slightly relaxing their most stringent controls.
▪ His son, Chiang Chingkuo, further relaxed control.
▪ It will help keep you relaxed and in control of the meeting.
▪ Several new relaxations were announced, and the intention to continue relaxing controls as circumstances permitted was reaffirmed.
▪ Some publishers maintain traditionally stringent standards, but others, in a competitive market, are relaxed about quality control.
face
▪ With slow wrinkling his stiff face relaxed now and then into a feminine tender smile.
▪ Mchboob looked disappointed; his whole face relaxed into regret.
▪ He nodded a kind, concerned face that relaxed into a shy smile; he too was enjoying our cultural connection.
▪ His lean bony sun-tanned face was relaxed, concealing his high degree of alertness.
▪ I turned around to face front, and relaxed.
▪ The muscles in his face were relaxed, and there was a slight Buddha smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
grip
▪ Never for one moment does this shimmering, simmering emotional desert storm of a film relax its grip on your senses.
▪ Weeping with merriment, gleeful through and through, she never relaxed her grip.
▪ When he tries to say something I relax my grip.
▪ He relaxed his grip on the mug, rolled his sleeves down, pushed his chair back.
▪ Try these drive-time tips to ease your commute: Keep a relaxed grip on the steering wheel.
▪ The pilots cautiously relaxed their grip and let their muscles slacken.
▪ But attitudes of this kind took time to gain the upper hand: the past relaxed its grip only slowly.
mind
▪ Simply going for a walk can relax the mind and refresh the spirit - and it will make you fitter too.
▪ Once you have learned to relax your mind in this way, your mental ability will be increased.
▪ Some activity that will relax your mind is important too, especially just before bed.
▪ She relaxed and her mind ran free.
▪ Massage benefits A massage will help to relax your mind and body, and give your skin a thorough moisturising treatment.
▪ However, it is important to look first at how to relax your mind.
▪ All she wanted was to relax and clear her mind for the ordeal.
▪ Anna Charsky, native of Leningrad, relaxed her mind and was soon asleep again.
muscle
▪ Once the danger is passed you shake as your muscles relax.
▪ In addition, body temperature begins to drop and muscles begin to relax.
▪ Then the tiniest of smiles came to her lips, the muscles about her eyes relaxing slightly as she saw.
▪ The sedative effects of alcohol cause the throat muscle to relax too much and also interfere with the involuntary awakening mechanisms.
▪ His jaw ached and he realised that he was grinding his teeth, so he released the muscles and tried to relax.
▪ Open the fist and allow your muscles to relax.
▪ As the tense muscles begin to relax, sometimes pent-up emotions are also freed.
▪ I felt him unwind beside me, his arms and legs twitching as his muscles relaxed.
regulation
▪ The turbo itself muffles the bike's noise enough to make it road-legal under relaxed U.S. noise regulations.
rule
▪ However, the board will not relax the rule requiring any product called tequila to contain 51 % agave.
▪ Postponement, says Kohl, is unacceptable, but so is relaxing the rules of entry.
▪ Last September the Government relaxed rules on foreign workers coming to Britain to combat skills shortages.
▪ The judicial antipathy to relaxing the rule has been far from uniform.
▪ The following month the government relaxed its rules on censorship.
▪ Mr. Lester submitted that the time has come to relax the rule to the extent which I have mentioned.
time
▪ He says he will have time enough to relax and carouse when he's had a smash hit with his first novel.
▪ This should be a time to relax, time off from the work of marriage.
▪ Cycle backwards 30 times, then relax by cuddling your knees.
▪ And as the time passes and people relax, you find them all aware that they need help.
▪ Moreover, evenings were about the only time parents could relax together.
▪ That means, in addition to daily support, they also get time off to relax together-alone.
▪ I had a hard time relaxing during the West Coast shutdown.
■ VERB
allow
▪ Haydn's Nelson Mass allowed the choir to relax and enjoy singing.
▪ Open the fist and allow your muscles to relax.
▪ There is nothing to hook your fingers over and allow you to relax, so keep cool and keep going.
▪ It is the attitude, the sense of entitlement that allows for relaxing maternal management.
▪ She allowed her fingers to relax as his continued to twine with hers.
appear
▪ Dole appeared relaxed and confident during the two campaign appearances on Sunday, bantering with crowds with ease.
▪ A good kungfu man never stands rigidly; his posture has to appear natural and relaxed.
▪ During remarks Thursday, Lucid appeared fit and relaxed.
▪ She, like the 1930s girls, also appears in a relatively relaxed, candid pose.
▪ Bird was poised on the court and he appeared relaxed as he went through the filming.
▪ But Tuesday night she appeared soft, relaxed and regal, even in a businesslike black pants suit.
▪ The 50-year-old incumbent and the 72-year-old challenger appeared equally relaxed, forceful and well rehearsed.
begin
▪ As the days went by, however, and no further incident was reported, he began to relax.
▪ In addition, body temperature begins to drop and muscles begin to relax.
▪ By doing this your muscles will gradually begin to relax and feelings of calm and heaviness will develop naturally.
▪ Within the solid walls of temple compounds in Kyoto or Nara, Charles began to relax.
▪ Gradually, during the decade, they began to relax it soas to admit more and more controversial confessions.
▪ The cockpit crew, including Joe who had never been in a gale before in his life, began to relax.
▪ As the tense muscles begin to relax, sometimes pent-up emotions are also freed.
▪ But just as she begins to relax a little more, the rhythm of the game changes.
feel
▪ He felt completely lazy and relaxed.
▪ One might think this would make us feel more relaxed about life.
▪ She felt relaxed, rather warm inside.
▪ Imagine a place that you love, where you feel relaxed and joyful.
▪ I felt so warm and relaxed and lazy.
▪ They make me feel comfortable and relaxed.
▪ Braitman and Ehrenzweig like having it where they live, and feel its cooperative, relaxed ambience is very San Francisco.
help
▪ In either case, a good meal helps to relax the body and spirit and wind up the day.
▪ Harold thinks it would help him relax in the evening and not hit the hard stuff so hard.
▪ By lessening your own tension you help to relax others in your sphere; relaxation and tension are infectious.
▪ Organizers made it a point to include music and poetry to help relax the atmosphere and lure more students.
▪ It helps me relax after a hard day's rapping about controversial political and social issues.
▪ But they will tell you that that first drag helps them relax.
▪ It helps to relax you and provides a beat to keep the momentum going.
▪ Which kinds of sounds help him relax and which are upsetting?
learn
▪ Once you have learned to relax your mind in this way, your mental ability will be increased.
▪ We learn to relax the muscles in our throat, jaws, even in our shoulders and back.
▪ He must learn to relax more, not be racked by the tortured tenseness that had afflicted him for the past weeks.
▪ Yoga or meditation may also be helpful in learning to relax.
▪ There is one ailment where learning to relax is of special importance, and that is asthma.
let
▪ She screwed her face tight and then let go and relaxed the muscles.
▪ This lets the gluten relax and then the dough should be more compliant.
▪ Her hands curled slowly into fists, the nails scoring the soft palms until she winced, and let them relax again.
▪ Leese had never let the Huey relax, so to speak.
▪ The candle will light my cigarette, though. Let us relax, then.
▪ The pressure is painful. Let us relax for the moment.
▪ Just stop tensing and let the muscles relax with gravity.
▪ Lift your legs slightly against the force of gravity, holding them for at least ten seconds, then let them relax again.
seem
▪ He still felt ill, but the hysterics seemed to have relaxed him a bit.
▪ She seemed relaxed, supportive, and responsive to his signals.
▪ He regarded her for a moment and then seemed abruptly to relax.
▪ To that end, the players seem relaxed enough about it.
▪ Rose turned right, and seemed to relax a little.
▪ I carry Jack in a cardboard box and he seems relaxed as we have a quiet conversation in the dark.
▪ Yet she seems as relaxed as Lochlin.
sit
▪ Price from £345.92 Left: From Nova's Imperial range, a comfortable wheeled lounger to sit and relax in.
▪ They were, however, likely to stop, sit down and relax at 4 p. m. with tea and pastry.
▪ The Sheikh Osman sat on, relaxed now.
▪ Finally, he decides to unbuckle his belt, loosen his pants, sit back and relax.
▪ I could then sit and relax and listen to the other violinists.
▪ As soon as they sit down and relax again, this irresistible urge returns.
▪ On this occasion, however, I sat back and relaxed as the parents erupted.
▪ We sat and relaxed for an hour, or two.
start
▪ At last they can start to relax.
▪ For the first time, she started to relax and take in her surroundings.
▪ Then, just as the sentry was starting to relax, Mayne cocked his Colt.45 automatic.
▪ He worked hard before a tournament and then just before starting he'd relax.
▪ He only started to relax when he was out on the stone-chip drive and walking away from the house.
▪ You will probably find that once the interview is under way you will start to relax.
try
▪ It is always helpful to try to relax the group prior to commencement, perhaps with a cup of tea.
▪ So there was nothing else to do then but head for the Vareyoc Café and try to relax.
▪ He was trying to relax Peter.
▪ You have to try to relax, which some people find very difficult or even impossible.
▪ She tries to relax her body.
▪ Look at a particular point on the wall in front of you and try to relax.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Drink this. It will help you relax.
▪ For heaven's sake Keith, will you just sit down and relax for five minutes!
▪ Hey, relax, you're going to be all right.
▪ Just sit back and relax, and enjoy the music.
▪ Just wait! In two weeks' time I'll be relaxing on a beach in Greece.
▪ Local residents are protesting against plans to relax laws controlling pub opening hours.
▪ Meditation relaxes you and makes you feel more healthy.
▪ Take a deep breath, and relax.
▪ The drink relaxed him so much he fell asleep.
▪ The government proposes to relax the rules on bringing pets into the country.
▪ They had a lovely weekend, relaxing and lying by the pool.
▪ Trained staff will look after your children, so that you can relax and enjoy yourself.
▪ What Robin needed was a good drink to relax her.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ At the sound of her voice, something in me relaxed.
▪ In the evening the aim is to relax the body.
▪ Postponement, says Kohl, is unacceptable, but so is relaxing the rules of entry.
▪ The cockpit crew, including Joe who had never been in a gale before in his life, began to relax.
▪ We sat and relaxed for an hour, or two.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Relax

Relax \Re*lax"\ (r?-l?ks"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Relaxed (-l?kst"); p. pr. & vb. n. Relaxing.] [L. relaxare; pref. re- re- + laxare to loose, to slacken, from laxus loose. See Lax, and cf. Relay, n., Release.]

  1. To make lax or loose; to make less close, firm, rigid, tense, or the like; to slacken; to loosen; to open; as, to relax a rope or cord; to relax the muscles or sinews.

    Horror . . . all his joints relaxed.
    --Milton.

    Nor served it to relax their serried files.
    --Milton.

  2. To make less severe or rigorous; to abate the stringency of; to remit in respect to strenuousness, earnestness, or effort; as, to relax discipline; to relax one's attention or endeavors.

    The statute of mortmain was at several times relaxed by the legislature.
    --Swift.

  3. Hence, to relieve from attention or effort; to ease; to recreate; to divert; as, amusement relaxes the mind.

  4. To relieve from constipation; to loosen; to open; as, an aperient relaxes the bowels.

    Syn: To slacken; loosen; loose; remit; abate; mitigate; ease; unbend; divert.

Relax

Relax \Re*lax"\, v. i.

  1. To become lax, weak, or loose; as, to let one's grasp relax.

    His knees relax with toil.
    --Pope.

  2. To abate in severity; to become less rigorous.

    In others she relaxed again, And governed with a looser rein.
    --Prior.

  3. To remit attention or effort; to become less diligent; to unbend; as, to relax in study.

Relax

Relax \Re**lax"\, a. Relaxed; lax; hence, remiss; careless.

Relax

Relax \Re*lax"\, n. Relaxation. [Obs.]
--Feltham.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
relax

late 14c., "to make (something) less compact or dense," from Old French relaschier "set free; soften; reduce" (14c.), from Latin relaxare "relax, loosen, open, stretch out, widen again; make loose," from re- "back" (see re-) + laxare "loosen," from laxus "loose" (see lax). Of persons, "to become less formal," from 1837. Meaning "decrease tension" is from early 15c.; intransitive sense of "to become less tense" is recorded from 1935. Related: Relaxed; relaxing.

Wiktionary
relax

vb. 1 (context transitive English) To calm down. 2 (context transitive English) To make something loose. 3 (context intransitive English) To become loose. 4 (context transitive English) To make something less severe or tense. 5 (context intransitive English) To become less severe or tense. 6 (context transitive English) To make something (such as codes and regulations) more lenient.

WordNet
relax

  1. v. become less tense, rest, or take one's ease; "He relaxed in the hot tub"; "Let's all relax after a hard day's work" [syn: loosen up, unbend, unwind, decompress, slow down] [ant: tense]

  2. make less tight; "relax the tension on the rope" [syn: unbend]

  3. become loose or looser or less tight; "The noose loosened"; "the rope relaxed" [syn: loosen, loose] [ant: stiffen]

  4. cause to feel relaxed; "A hot bath always relaxes me" [syn: unstrain, unlax, loosen up, unwind, make relaxed] [ant: tense, tense]

  5. become less tense, less formal, or less restrained, and assume a friendlier manner; "our new colleague relaxed when he saw that we were a friendly group" [syn: loosen up]

  6. make less severe or strict; "The government relaxed the curfew after most of the rebels were caught" [syn: loosen]

  7. become less severe or strict; "The rules relaxed after the new director arrived" [syn: loosen]

  8. make less active or fast; "He slackened his pace as he got tired"; "Don't relax your efforts now" [syn: slack, slacken, slack up]

Related phrases:
Wikipedia
Relax (song)

"Relax" is the debut single by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in the United Kingdom by ZTT Records in 1983. The song was later included on the album Welcome to the Pleasuredome (1984).

Although fairly inauspicious upon initial release, "Relax" finally reached number one on the UK singles chart on 24 January 1984, ultimately becoming one of the most controversial and most commercially successful records of the decade. The single eventually sold a reported 2 million copies in the UK alone, making it the seventh best-selling single in the UK Singles Chart's history. Following the release of the group's second single, " Two Tribes", "Relax" rallied from a declining UK chart position during June 1984 to climb back up the UK charts and re-attain number-two spot behind "Two Tribes" at number one, representing simultaneous chart success by a single act, unprecedented since the early 1960s.

Upon release in the United States in late 1984, "Relax" repeated its slow UK progress, reaching number 67 upon initial release, but eventually reaching number 10 in March 1985.

The song won Best British Single at the 1985 Brit Awards.

The song was used in the films Body Double, Police Academy, Gotcha!, Bony a klid, Zoolander, and The Proposal. It was featured in a season one episode of Miami Vice "Little Prince", in The Simpsons episode " Homer the Smithers" and in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Saints Row: The Third, and a trailer for the Zombies in Spaceland mode in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. The song was featured in a 2009 television advertisement for Virgin Atlantic, marking 25 years since the company's foundation.

Relax

Relax may refer to:

Relax (Come Fighting)
Relax (Blank & Jones album)

Relax is the fifth studio album by Trance duo Blank & Jones. It was released in 2003.

Relax (Das Racist album)

Relax is the only full-length studio album by New York hip-hop group Das Racist, following the success of their first two mixtapes Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man. The album was released on September 13, 2011.

The first single, "Michael Jackson", was released via iTunes on August 2, with a video, parodying Michael Jackson's " Black or White" video, released shortly after.

The album is produced by Patrick Wimberly of Chairlift, with acts including Diplo, El-P and Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend on guest production. Relax was named in numerous year-end "best of" lists, including both Rolling Stone's and Spin's lists of fifty best albums of 2011 as well as earning the top position on music critic Robert Christgau's 2011 album list.

Usage examples of "relax".

It is absolutely not an experience not an experience of momentary states, not an experience of self, not an experience of no-self, not an experience of relaxing, not an experience of surrendering: it is the Empty opening or clearing in which all of those experiences come and go, an opening or clearing that, were it not always already perfectly Present, no experiences could arise in the first place.

While the acousticians usually came to work in jackets and ties, the atmosphere on the computer side was decidedly more relaxed.

A moment later, the Indexer relaxed from sifting through the agate gravel.

Harvard graduate identifying a brother alumnus, and in the face of such credentials Simon relaxed.

Relaxed after the hunt, warm under the limpid trees, a little stirred by the romance and the artifice, the English Ambassage lay listening, smiling, and watched the young man who had given Sir John Perrott a poor game, but had clearly been selected by the Scottish Queen for quite different talents.

One of these is the probability of the aortal tissues pressing upon the weapon relaxing their hold and allowing the blade to slip.

Tony relaxed slightly as Arra pushed through the crowd holding up what looked like official documentation.

Alexander ascended his tribunal, and with a modest firmness represented to the armed multitude the absolute necessity, as well as his inflexible resolution, of correcting the vices introduced by his impure predecessor, and of maintaining the discipline, which could not be relaxed without the ruin of the Roman name and empire.

He saw guards, relaxed though in uniform, armed only with holstered pistols, an officer, and one man in overalls, incongruous as a plumber might have been in those aseptic surroundings.

Joe relaxed and focused his yellow eyes questioningly on Asey, who shrugged.

Even he could see that the omens were all auspicious, and began to relax.

Julia relaxed slowly as Azar dabbed the perspiration from her forehead and murmured to her, touching her face tenderly.

Instead, it accepted their presence and eventually was relatively relaxed as first Baken, then Vetch handled it.

Finally, they break in, tell you to relax, the lights dim, and you just go off to beddy by standing up.

It carried him to Sio Bibble and the Naboo officials now, jointed armatures working in careful precision, allowing him to remain relaxed and comfortable as he took note of the fear in the eyes of the officials backing Bibble.