What does "relieve" mean?
To ease (a person, person's thoughts etc.) from mental distress; to stop (someone) feeling anxious or worried, to alleviate the distress of.
Relieve
/ɹɪˈliːv/ verb
verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To ease (a person, person's thoughts etc.) from mental distress; to stop (someone) feeling anxious or worried, to alleviate the distress of.
- Grammar: relieve is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: allay, alleviate, assuage, ease.
- Useful contrasts: agonising, agonizing, beleaguered.
- Usage evidence: Do you have anything to relieve a headache?
How to use "relieve"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "relieve" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "relieve" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "relieve" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "relieve" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "relieve" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "allay" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "relieve", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To ease (a person, person's thoughts etc.) from mental distress; to stop (someone) feeling anxious or worried, to alleviate the distress of. transitive
"I was greatly relieved by the jury's verdict."
- 2 provide physical relief, as from pain wordnet
- 3 To ease (someone, a part of the body etc.) or give relief from physical pain or discomfort. transitive
- 4 provide relief for wordnet
- 5 To alleviate (pain, distress, mental discomfort etc.). transitive
Show 19 more definitions
- 6 alleviate or remove (pressure or stress) or make less oppressive wordnet
- 7 To provide comfort or assistance to (someone in need, especially in poverty). transitive
- 8 grant exemption or release to wordnet
- 9 To lift up; to raise again. obsolete
- 10 relieve oneself of troubling information wordnet
- 11 To raise (someone) out of danger or from (a specified difficulty etc.). archaic
- 12 lessen the intensity of or calm wordnet
- 13 To free (someone) from debt or legal obligations; to give legal relief to.
"This shall not relieve either Party of any obligations."
- 14 take by stealing wordnet
- 15 To bring military help to (a besieged town); to lift the siege on. transitive
"In 1574, the duke of Alva laid siege to Leiden to gain control of Holland's most beautiful and prosperous city. To relieve the siege, William of Orange and his followers opened the city's protective dikes to flush out—literally—the surrounding Spanish forces."
- 16 free from a burden, evil, or distress wordnet
- 17 To release (someone) from or of a difficulty, unwanted task, responsibility etc.
"They had thought it obsolete, but, were relieved of this misapprehension by Yule’s friend Major Trotter."
- 18 free someone temporarily from his or her obligations wordnet
- 19 To free (someone) from their post, task etc. by taking their place.
- 20 save from ruin, destruction, or harm wordnet
- 21 To make (something) stand out; to make prominent, bring into relief. archaic
"The henna should be deeply dyed to make / The skin relieved appear more fairly fair […]"
- 22 grant relief or an exemption from a rule or requirement to wordnet
- 23 To urinate or defecate. euphemistic, reflexive
"1989, Snyder v. Harmon, 562 A.2d 307 (Pa. 1989) (Zappala, J., writing for the majority), Pennsylvania Supreme Court As they traveled along L.R. 33060, one of the passengers mentioned he had to relieve himself, so Barrett stopped the car along the berm of the road, which, unbeknown to the travelers, was directly adjacent to a strip mine."
- 24 To ease one's own desire to orgasm, often through masturbation to orgasm. euphemistic, reflexive
"Nevertheless, to relieve oneself takes the edge off the desire and doesn't take advantage of others."
Example
"Do you have anything to relieve a headache?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "relieve"?
Common synonyms include: allay, alleviate, assuage, ease, abate, abet.
How do you use "relieve" in a sentence?
Do you have anything to relieve a headache?
How do you pronounce "relieve"?
Pronounced /ɹɪˈliːv/.
Etymology
From Late Middle English releven, from Old French relever, specifically from the conjugated forms such as (jeo) relieve (“I lift up”), and its source, Latin relevo (“to lift up, lighten, relieve, alleviate”), combined form of re- (“back”) + levo (“to lift”). Doublet of relevate. Compare levant, levity, etc.