WordGarden.iorelieve
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /rɪlˈiːv/
US
- /riˈliv/
Meanings
Verb
to make pain, distress, pressure, or another burden less severe
to free someone from a duty, responsibility, or burden
to take over from someone in a job, post, or period of duty
More meaningsFewer meanings
to urinate or defecate, especially in the phrase relieve oneself
to take money or another possession from someone, often by theft or trickery
Beyond the definition
Imagine you've been carrying a heavy backpack all day. Finally taking it off? That feeling of release—that's what "relieve" is all about. It means to ease pain, stress, or difficulty. You might relieve a headache with medicine, or relieve someone's worries by offering help.
Relief isn't just physical, though! A good joke can relieve tension in a room, and finishing a big project can relieve the pressure you've been feeling. Think of it as lifting a weight—whether that weight is literal or emotional. Sometimes, to relieve someone of a duty means to take their responsibility away from them so they can rest. For example: "The guard arrived at midnight to relieve his partner at his post."
To relieve something means to lessen or remove pain, suffering, difficulty, or pressure. It's a versatile word that applies to both physical sensations and emotional experiences. For example: "The cool compress relieved her discomfort," or "His apology relieved her anxiety."
Relieve often implies a temporary easing of something unpleasant. While it might not cure a problem entirely, it provides comfort or improvement. Saying "a warm bath can relieve muscle soreness" suggests it will make you feel better, even if your muscles are still recovering from a workout.
You'll also see "relieve" used in contexts involving responsibility or duty. To relieve someone of a task means to take over that task for them. For example: "The substitute teacher relieved the regular teacher during her absence." In a more formal or negative sense, it can mean removing someone from a position: "He was relieved of his duties after the scandal." In both cases, the word implies the removal of a burden or obligation.
While "relief" is the emotion we feel, "to relieve" is the action that produces it. Whether it's easing physical pain, lightening an emotional burden, or taking over someone's shift, to relieve is about providing a lessening of something difficult—offering a welcome moment of ease and comfort.
Examples
- 1
Medical treatment
The medicine should help relieve the pain in your back.
- 2
Physical tension
A hot shower always relieves some of the tension in my shoulders.
- 3
Workplace pressure
Hiring two more nurses would relieve the pressure on the whole team.
- 4
Good news
I was relieved to hear that everyone got home safely.
- Patternbe relieved to hear that ...
feel less worried after learning something
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Interview aftermath
She looked relieved when the interview was finally over.
- 6
Work duties
His manager relieved him of some of his duties while he recovered.
- Patternrelieve someone of something
take a duty or burden away from them
- 7
Job cover
Can you relieve me at the front desk for ten minutes?
- Patternrelieve someone
take over their job for a short time
- 8
Social policy
The new program was designed to relieve poverty in rural areas.
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- relieveverb
Forms
- relievedpast tenseverb
- relieving-ing formverb
- relievesverb