Relax
//ɹɪˈlæks// verb
verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To make something loose. transitive
"to relax a rope or cord"
- 2 cause to feel relaxed wordnet
- 3 To make something loose.; To relieve from constipation; to loosen; to open. dated, transitive
"An aperient relaxes the bowels."
- 4 become less tense, rest, or take one's ease wordnet
- 5 To become loose. intransitive
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 become loose or looser or less tight wordnet
- 7 To relieve (someone or someone's mind) of stress; to enable to rest; to calm down. transitive
"Amusement relaxes the mind."
- 8 make less taut wordnet
- 9 To rest and become relieved of stress. intransitive
"I like to relax by listening to music."
- 10 make less active or fast wordnet
- 11 To make something less severe or tense. transitive
"to relax discipline"
- 12 become less severe or strict wordnet
- 13 To become less severe or tense. intransitive
"Tensions between the two countries have relaxed somewhat in recent weeks."
- 14 make less severe or strict wordnet
- 15 To make something (such as codes and regulations) more lenient. transitive
"The statute of mortmain[…] was at several times relaxed by the legislature."
- 16 become less tense, less formal, or less restrained, and assume a friendlier manner wordnet
- 17 To become more lenient. intransitive
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"I want a massage. I need to relax."
Etymology
From Middle English relaxen, from Old French relaxer, from Latin relaxāre (“relax, loosen, open”), from re- (“back”) + laxāre (“loosen”), from laxus (“loose, free”). By surface analysis, re- + lax (“open, free, loose”).
Related phrases
More for "relax"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.