Find the word definition

Crossword clues for relieve

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
relieve
verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
alleviate/relieve poverty formal (= make it less severe)
▪ What has the West done to alleviate poverty in the world?
be relieved of your commandformal (= lose your military position because you have done something wrong)
▪ The General was relieved of his command due to misconduct.
reduce/ease/relieve tension
▪ Breathing deeply helps to clear my mind and reduce tension.
reduce/relieve anxiety
▪ The drug helps to reduce anxiety, allowing you to feel relaxed.
reduce/relieve stress
▪ Don’t resort to alcohol to relieve your stress.
relieve the boredom
▪ a game to relieve the boredom of a long journey
relieve the tedium
▪ We sang while we worked, to relieve the tedium.
relieve/alleviate symptomsformal (= make them less severe)
▪ Take aspirin to relieve the symptoms, and keep warm.
relieve/break the monotony
▪ He suggested a card game to relieve the monotony of the journey.
relieve/ease pain (also alleviate painformal) (= make it less severe)
▪ Exercise can help to relieve lower back pain.
relieve/ease/reduce overcrowding
▪ There are plans to relieve overcrowding in the village.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
greatly
▪ In many ways I was greatly relieved as it had become obvious to me that he wasn't well.
▪ The party was greatly relieved to get the whole business over and done with.
▪ At first there was no response to Cleo's knock, at which Dauntless was greatly relieved.
so
▪ She was so relieved to hear this that she could not make any further self-sacrifice.
▪ I jogged, sprinted towards my inanimate friend and when I got there I was so relieved I wanted to cry.
▪ It had taken two of them to free me from the current and I was so relieved.
▪ I was so relieved I went to bed for two days.
▪ She was so relieved that she had saved him.
▪ I was so relieved that I even gave them time to finish their ice creams.
▪ Laura was so relieved that she could only nod silently while she followed him out of the room.
▪ We were so relieved to have got away and to somewhere nice.
very
▪ She says they were very relieved and thanked those who had helped the family.
▪ I felt guilty, but secretly I was very relieved.
▪ She was very relieved, so much so that she felt weak.
▪ Male speaker I was really really happy because we had nine days off school I was very relieved.
when
▪ She was relieved when the New Year arrived and things returned to normal.
▪ He was relieved when he saw Earnhardt's trademark sly smile.
▪ I will be profoundly relieved when I can escape from the prosaic explanations and defences of this present sprawling mess of words.
▪ I try hard not to look awed and am relieved when I manage to appear nothing more than suitably impressed.
▪ The knife frightened her, and she was relieved when he threw it down.
▪ I am relieved when I get sick once again, just as I have before at times of unbearable tension.
▪ For once she was relieved when her shift was over and it was time to go home.
▪ He was anxious about her tonight and more than relieved when he found out she was all right.
■ NOUN
anxiety
▪ To relieve anxiety about funeral costs, we will introduce a funeral payment of £600, available on request.
▪ And as they get older, they do everything conceivable to relieve that anxiety of that closeness.
▪ Free discussion about attitudes to a problem will relieve anxiety, and mutual support can be obtained.
▪ Containment relieves anxiety about strong feelings and impulses getting out of control.
▪ This will go some way towards relieving the anxiety of those who felt that the fine and reprimands were far too limp.
boredom
▪ Pleasure will also follow from moving from a low level to a higher one: the relieving of boredom.
▪ He attempts reading it upside down, which temporarily relieves the boredom.
▪ These inventions not only relieved the boredom but gave escape from pain.
burden
▪ To relieve policyholders of this burden, we have now index-linked everyone's cover.
▪ We have tried to explain to the government that by moving, the Rabari are relieving it of a burden.
▪ She added, by way of conversation, that she must wait patiently to be relieved of the burden of living.
▪ Moreover, a lot of money would be left over to relieve the tax burden.
▪ It would relieve us of the burden of suppressed emotion.
command
▪ Falkenhayn was relieved of his command by the Kaiser in August and replaced by Hindenburg and Ludendorff.
▪ Within two weeks of the attack, both men were relieved of their commands and automatically demoted to two-star rank.
▪ It was a dismal day at Frederick when the news was promulgated that General Hooker was relieved of the command.
▪ Army officers whose commissions were based on nothing more than a personal friendship with Santa Anna were relieved of their commands.
▪ This is exactly what happened when John MacLeod was relieved of his command.
duty
▪ Yith Kim Seng, Minister of Health, was also relieved of his duties.
▪ All three asked to be relieved of this duty.
▪ Friends of the family discovered their coupons returned or were relieved of the duty of delivering them.
▪ Of the first 126 soldiers relieved from duty in an army recruiting scandal, only three were officers.
▪ He was relieved from duty by the end of the week.
▪ The day was too much, and the battalion commander requested to be relieved of his duty.
▪ In the spring of 1993, Li suffered a heart attack and was relieved of more duties.
monotony
▪ This year's card would relieve the monotony.
pain
▪ She was given pain relieving drugs and placed on intravenous drips to replace vital blood plasma and fluids.
▪ Ulcer pain is relieved by food and tends to come back an hour or more after eating.
post
▪ Yeltsin signed a decree relieving him of his post on Oct. 23.
poverty
▪ But such a strategy would serve primarily to relieve some symptoms of poverty rather than its cause.
▪ Liberals want more comprehensive child care, more programs to relieve child poverty.
pressure
▪ Sometimes centres were able to relieve any additional pressure on staff by allocating the equivalent of two places to one child.
▪ It would relieve the pressure from the peace groups in the United States and mollify many of the doves.
▪ If all else fails, you may be advised to have an operation to relieve the pressure on the nerve.
▪ He expected to coach a few years under Parker to relieve some pressure, then pursue a head-coaching job.
▪ It knew the bank's position; it knew how much liquidity to inject to relieve the pressure.
▪ When he played for Phoenix, Ceballos came off the bench to relieve pressure on Charles Barkley with his shooting.
▪ Intended to relieve pressure on the most popular courses, the system should be up and running this spring.
▪ We dared leave the leeboards no more than half way down, with ropes and guys rigged to relieve the sideways pressure.
problem
▪ There was some return of pain and numbness after 24 hours, but repeating the dose relieved the problem.
▪ Such comprehensive supervision and reporting can actually reduce client costs, and relieve clients of the problems inherent in cleaning any premises.
▪ However, its benefits were confined to those already holding land, and it did nothing to relieve the problem of landlessness.
▪ To relieve the unskilled operator problem much of the decision making is now handled by the program rather than the user.
▪ In 1934 a new unemployment Act was passed which went some way towards relieving a gradually diminishing problem.
responsibility
▪ However, this does not relieve the individual from responsibility.
▪ The corollary is that acquiring an addiction is tantamount to relieving oneself of personal responsibility.
▪ Still, most of us were glad to be relieved of responsibility for our failing learners for a few months.
▪ By relieving it of responsibility for details, Parliament was thereby able to concentrate on major issues of policy.
▪ More mobile than ever before, big businesses can bully governments into relieving them of their responsibilities.
▪ Is the client entitled to be relieved of responsibility on the basis that the contractor would have been late anyway?
stress
▪ Stonehouse, intended to relieve Glasgow's housing stress, was abandoned in 1976.
▪ Massage-Good for general relaxation and to relieve stress buildup in the muscle tissue.
▪ What can you do to relieve your own stress levels?.
▪ Next, learn to pause and de-stress, because relieving stress can save your life!
▪ They also relieve stress on the elbows.
▪ We thought it was a terrific benefit and would relieve a lot of stress.
▪ Don't resort to alcohol to relieve your stress.
▪ The workouts were intended to relieve stress, but they were for vanity, too.
symptom
▪ These are useful in relieving some of the symptoms of underdevelopment.
▪ Seldane was first introduced in 1985, the first prescription antihistamine to relieve hayfever symptoms without drowsiness.
▪ A colostomy was performed in an attempt to relieve her large bowel symptoms, and subsequently closed.
▪ But such a strategy would serve primarily to relieve some symptoms of poverty rather than its cause.
▪ Estrogen replacement relieves such symptoms of menopause as hot flashes and night sweats, reduces bone loss and relieves vaginal dryness.
tedium
▪ To relieve the tedium of the days they sang, or told stories to Enoch.
▪ She would have welcomed a raging tempest or a blistering drought - anything to relieve the endless tedium of her situation.
▪ Stress also relieves the tedium of everyday life.
tension
▪ If the way is clear, run towards the kite and relieve the tension on the single line.
▪ Being under tremendous stress, facing death, they relieved their tensions by cursing their situations.
▪ There are alternatives which relieve our immediate tension.
▪ We just did it to get off, to relieve some of the tension.
▪ For some, it's the chewing itself that relieves tension.
▪ The leader occasionally does some-thing totally outrageous to relieve the tension.
▪ So she had to express them, and relieve her tensions, with those stormy little displays of temper.
▪ Perhaps that was what she needed to relieve the tension.
■ VERB
feel
▪ It left him, and he felt relaxed and relieved.
▪ Yet part of me felt almost relieved.
▪ He felt guilty but relieved that he had not put his name to it.
▪ He felt a relieved smile spreading over his face and something like freedom in his heart.
▪ When his oration ended, the rector felt sufficiently relieved to try and figure out what to do.
▪ Cefalo said he felt Shula looked relieved.
▪ I feel relieved and soft and a little girlish and I am happy.
▪ If the reports were bad, he felt relieved because they gave added assurance that the capital was safe.
help
▪ Body beautiful A home massage will tone and improve circulation and help to relieve aching limbs.
▪ Baking soda will help relieve some odors.
▪ Besides massage, a good soak in a bath can help to relieve the post-race fatigue in your legs.
▪ Acetaminophen or ibuprofen will help relieve some of the pain.
seem
▪ She denied it, but her attitude changed - she seemed to be petulantly relieved.
▪ She seemed relieved when he turned down her offer to come live with them.
▪ It seems to relieve wind and discomfort gently and soothingly without any stress on the baby.
▪ I had thought Derek and Kitty would resent my constant presence, but both seemed relieved.
▪ Some one, it seemed, had relieved Stanley of his bargain.
▪ Petey seemed relieved to hear she had a plan.
▪ As I thought, Kovacs seemed relieved.
▪ Margaret and a few others seemed relieved to get him down, his canes clattering and his body folding in half.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ After about 20 hours, they were relieved by another crew.
▪ Can anyone relieve Tammy? She's been on duty for ten hours without a break.
▪ Harry attempted a couple of jokes to relieve the tension of the occasion.
▪ He was sent to Cairo to relieve Captain Roberts for a few days.
▪ Just take some Tylenol to relieve the pain.
▪ Magnetic board games can help relieve the boredom of long car journeys for kids.
▪ Peppermint has long been regarded as a plant that can relieve indigestion.
▪ Regular exercise can relieve depression and anxiety.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Estrogen replacement relieves such symptoms of menopause as hot flashes and night sweats, reduces bone loss and relieves vaginal dryness.
▪ It clearly relieved and heartened them.
▪ Massage-Good for general relaxation and to relieve stress buildup in the muscle tissue.
▪ Near the end Joey Beauchamp relieved the pain with his second goal of the season.
▪ What can you do to relieve those of your colleagues or staff?
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Relieve

Relieve \Re*lieve"\ (r?-l?v"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Relieved (-l?vd"); p. pr. & vb. n. Relieving.] [OE. releven, F. relever to raise again, discharge, relieve, fr. L. relevare to lift up, raise, make light, relieve; pref. re- re- + levare to raise, fr. levis light. See Levity, and cf. Relevant, Relief.]

  1. To lift up; to raise again, as one who has fallen; to cause to rise. [Obs.]
    --Piers Plowman.

  2. To cause to seem to rise; to put in relief; to give prominence or conspicuousness to; to set off by contrast.

    Her tall figure relieved against the blue sky; seemed almost of supernatural height.
    --Sir W. Scott.

  3. To raise up something in; to introduce a contrast or variety into; to remove the monotony or sameness of.

    The poet must . . . sometimes relieve the subject with a moral reflection.
    --Addison.

  4. To raise or remove, as anything which depresses, weighs down, or crushes; to render less burdensome or afflicting; to alleviate; to abate; to mitigate; to lessen; as, to relieve pain; to relieve the wants of the poor.

  5. To free, wholly or partly, from any burden, trial, evil, distress, or the like; to give ease, comfort, or consolation to; to give aid, help, or succor to; to support, strengthen, or deliver; as, to relieve a besieged town.

    Now lend assistance and relieve the poor.
    --Dryden.

  6. To release from a post, station, or duty; to put another in place of, or to take the place of, in the bearing of any burden, or discharge of any duty.

    Who hath relieved you?
    --Shak.

  7. To ease of any imposition, burden, wrong, or oppression, by judicial or legislative interposition, as by the removal of a grievance, by indemnification for losses, or the like; to right.

    Syn: To alleviate; assuage; succor; assist; aid; help; support; substain; ease; mitigate; lighten; diminish; remove; free; remedy; redress; indemnify.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
relieve

late 14c., "alleviate (pain, etc.), mitigate; afford comfort; allow respite; diminish the pressure of," also "give alms to, provide for;" also figuratively, "take heart, cheer up;" from Old French relever "to raise, relieve" (11c.) and directly from Latin relevare "to raise, alleviate, lift up, free from a burden," from re-, intensive prefix (see re-), + levare "to lift up, lighten," from levis "not heavy" (see lever).\n

\nThe notion is "to raise (someone) out of trouble." From c.1400 as "advance to the rescue in battle;" also "return from battle; recall (troops)." Meaning "release from duty" is from early 15c. Related: relieved; relieving.

Wiktionary
relieve

vb. To ease (a person, person's thoughts etc.) from mental distress; to stop (someone) feeling anxious or worried, to alleviate the distress of. (from 14th c.)

WordNet
relieve
  1. v. provide physical relief, as from pain; "This pill will relieve your headaches" [syn: alleviate, palliate, assuage]

  2. free someone temporarily from his or her obligations [syn: take over]

  3. grant relief or an exemption from a rule or requirement to; "She exempted me from the exam" [syn: exempt, free] [ant: enforce]

  4. lessen the intensity of or calm; "The news eased my conscience"; "still the fears" [syn: still, allay, ease]

  5. save from ruin, destruction, or harm [syn: salvage, salve, save]

  6. relieve oneself of troubling information [syn: unbosom]

  7. alleviate or remove; "relieve the pressure and the stress"

  8. provide relief for; "remedy his illness" [syn: remedy]

  9. free from a burden, evil, or distress

  10. take by stealing; "The thief relieved me of $100"

  11. grant exemption or release to; "Please excuse me from this class" [syn: excuse, let off, exempt]

Wikipedia

Usage examples of "relieve".

As soon as they were relieved by the absence of the plebeian multitude, they encouraged each other, by interviews and messages, to accomplish their vow, and hasten their departure.

Ramage said, relieved that the Admiral had not added a stronger condemnation about him going aground, a factor which had seemed to absorb him, at least temporarily.

The allyl and sulphur in the bulbs, together with their mucilaginous parts, relieve the sore mucous membranes, and quicken perspiration, whilst other medicinal virtues are exercised at the same time on the animal economy.

The mamuti, anticipating the need for explanations to relieve the anxieties caused by this startling innovation, had mentally searched the theoretical construct of their metaphysical world for answers that would satisfy.

After relieving myself, anticipating the end of detachment and a plunge into ecstasy, I turned about only to find Xaefyer waiting for me just beyond the doorway.

The whole plant is sedative and antispasmodic, being of service by its preparations to relieve sleeplessness, nervous headache, and muscular rheumatism.

He was bewildered, for instance, by her new and to him quite inexplicable reluctance to respond to their familiar urinary tune by singing the antistrophe that signified assent, and crouching to relieve herself.

Sergeant Shankey was arriving at just that moment to relieve the misfortunate Turner.

After downing a cup of tepid coffee, he went to the OR to relieve her and do the delicate anastomoses of the vein grafts to the tiny coronary arteries.

He wanted to thump the annunciator panel with his fist and say all of the things that had come boiling up inside him-anything to relieve his frustration.

Court that the Interstate Commerce Commission may, in approving the acquisition by a railroad corporation of one State of railroad lines in another, relieve such corporation from being incorporated under the laws of the latter State.

Gervais Mechin, curate-in-charge of the Church of Saint-Pierre in the Market Place at Loudun, certify by these presents, signed by my hand, to relieve my conscience as to a certain report which is being spread abroad, that I had said in support of an accusation brought by Gilles Robert, archpriest, against Urbain Grandier, priest-in-charge of Saint-Pierre, that I had found the said Grandier lying with women and girls in the church of Saint Pierre, the doors being closed.

By its warming astringency, it exercises cordial properties which are most useful in arresting passive diarrhoea, and in relieving flatulent indigestion.

For those situations in which these measures prove inadequate, chemists have produced a stunning array of drugs to control the mind, such as those to enable people to relax, to become mentally aroused and alert, to sleep, to relieve anxiety, to overcome depression, to counteract attentional disorders, to improve the memory, and to experience euphoria, bliss, and even alleged mystical states of consciousness.

Sharp relieved Tom at the wheel, while the young inventor ate, and then, with the airship heading southwest, the speed was increased a trifle, the balloonist desiring to see what the motor could accomplish under a heavy load.