relieve (redirected from relieves)

re·lieve  (r-lv)

tr.v. re·lieved, re·liev·ing, re·lieves

1. To cause a lessening or alleviation of: relieved all his symptoms; relieved the tension.

2. To free from pain, anxiety, or distress.

3. To furnish assistance or aid to.

4. To rescue from siege.

5. To release (a person) from an obligation, restriction, or burden, as by law or legislation.

6.

a. To free from a specified duty by providing or acting as a substitute.

b. Baseball To take over for (a relief pitcher).

7. To make less tedious, monotonous, or unpleasant: Only one small candle relieved the gloom.

8. To make prominent or effective by contrast; set off.

9. Informal To rob or deprive: Pickpockets relieved him of his money.

Idiom:

relieve (oneself)

To urinate or defecate.

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[Middle English releven, from Old French relever, from Latin relevre : re-, re- + levre, to raise; see leg^wh- in Indo-European roots.]

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re·lieva·ble adj.

Synonyms: relieve, allay, alleviate, assuage, lighten², mitigate, palliate
These verbs mean to make something less severe or more bearable. To relieve is to make more endurable something causing discomfort or distress: "that misery which he strives in vain to relieve" (Henry David Thoreau).
Allay suggests at least temporary relief from what is burdensome or painful: "This music crept by me upon the waters,/Allaying both their fury and my passion/With its sweet air" (Shakespeare).
Alleviate connotes temporary lessening of distress without removal of its cause: "No arguments shall be wanting on my part that can alleviate so severe a misfortune" (Jane Austen).
To assuage is to soothe or make milder: assuaged his guilt by confessing to the crime.
Lighten signifies to make less heavy or oppressive: legislation that would lighten the taxpayer's burden.
Mitigate and palliate connote moderating the force or intensity of something that causes suffering: "I ... prayed to the Lord to mitigate a calamity" (John Galt). "Men turn to him in the hour of distress, as of all statesmen the most fitted to palliate it" (William E.H. Lecky).

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relieve [rɪˈliːv]

vb (tr)

1. to bring alleviation of (pain, distress, etc.) to (someone)

2. to bring aid or assistance to (someone in need, a disaster area, etc.)

3. to take over the duties or watch of (someone)

4. (Military) to bring aid or a relieving force to (a besieged town, city, etc.)

5. to free (someone) from an obligation

6. to make (something) less unpleasant, arduous, or monotonous

7. to bring into relief or prominence, as by contrast

8. (foll by of) Informal to take from the thief relieved him of his watch

relieve oneself to urinate or defecate

[from Old French relever, from Latin relevāre to lift up, relieve, from re- + levāre to lighten]

relievable  adj

reliever  n

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	relieve - provide physical relief, as from pain; "This pill will relieve your headaches" alleviate, palliate, assuage soothe - cause to feel better; "the medicine soothes the pain of the inflammation" comfort, ease - lessen pain or discomfort; alleviate; "ease the pain in your legs" ameliorate, improve, meliorate, amend, better - to make better; "The editor improved the manuscript with his changes"
	2.	relieve - free someone temporarily from his or her obligations take over spell - relieve (someone) from work by taking a turn; "She spelled her husband at the wheel" discharge, free - free from obligations or duties
	3.	relieve - grant relief or an exemption from a rule or requirement to; "She exempted me from the exam" exempt, free derestrict - make free from restrictions deregulate - lift the regulations on dispense - grant a dispensation; grant an exemption; "I was dispensed from this terrible task" forgive - absolve from payment; "I forgive you your debt" spare - save or relieve from an experience or action; "I'll spare you from having to apologize formally"
	4.	relieve - lessen the intensity of or calm; "The news eased my conscience"; "still the fears" allay, still, ease comfort, console, solace, soothe - give moral or emotional strength to abreact - discharge bad feelings or tension through verbalization
	5.	relieve - save from ruin, destruction, or harm salvage, salve, save rescue, deliver - free from harm or evil
	6.	relieve - relieve oneself of troubling information unbosom confide - reveal in private; tell confidentially
	7.	relieve - provide relief for; "remedy his illness" remedy practice of medicine, medicine - the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries; "he studied medicine at Harvard" care for, treat - provide treatment for; "The doctor treated my broken leg"; "The nurses cared for the bomb victims"; "The patient must be treated right away or she will die"; "Treat the infection with antibiotics"
	8.	relieve - free from a burden, evil, or distress disembarrass, rid, free - relieve from; "Rid the house of pests"
	9.	relieve - take by stealing; "The thief relieved me of $100" take - take by force; "Hitler took the Baltic Republics"; "The army took the fort on the hill"
	10.	relieve - grant exemption or release to; "Please excuse me from this class" let off, excuse, exempt frank - exempt by means of an official pass or letter, as from customs or other checks absolve, justify, free - let off the hook; "I absolve you from this responsibility"
	11.	relieve - alleviate or remove (pressure or stress) or make less oppressive; "relieve the pressure and the stress"; "lighten the burden of caring for her elderly parents" lighten mitigate - make less severe or harsh; "mitigating circumstances"

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relieve

verb

1. ease, soothe, alleviate, allay, relax, comfort, calm, cure, dull, diminish, soften, console, appease, solace, mitigate, abate, assuage, mollify, salve, palliate Drugs can relieve much of the pain.
ease intensify, worsen, heighten, exacerbate, aggravate

2. interrupt, reduce, break up, alleviate, dispel, brighten, punctuate, lighten, counteract, mitigate, let up on (informal), make bearable Television did help to relieve the boredom and isolation.

3. free, release, deliver, discharge, exempt, unburden, disembarrass, disencumber He felt relieved of a burden.

4. take over from, substitute for, stand in for, take the place of, give (someone) a break or rest At seven o'clock the night nurse came in to relieve her.

5. help, support, aid, sustain, assist, succour, bring aid to a programme to relieve poor countries

relieve yourself pee, wee (informal), piss (taboo slang) (slang), urinate, tinkle (Brit. informal), piddle (informal), spend a penny (Brit. informal), make water, pass water, wee-wee (informal), take a leak (slang), micturate, take a whizz (slang, chiefly U.S.) She has to relieve herself every ten minutes.

Translations

relieve [rɪˈliːv] VT

1. (= alleviate) [+ sufferings, pain, headache] → aliviar; [+ burden] → aligerar; [+ tension, boredom, anxiety] → disipar, aliviar
to feel relieved → sentirse aliviado
to relieve the boredom of the journey → para que el viaje se haga menos aburrido
the plain is relieved by an occasional hill → de vez en cuando una colina rompe con la monotonía de la llanura

2. (= ease) [+ person's mind] → tranquilizar
it relieves me to hear it → me tranquiliza saberlo

3. [+ feelings, anger] → desahogar
to relieve one's feelings → desahogarse
I relieved my feelings in a letter → me desahogué escribiendo una carta

4. to relieve o.s (= go to lavatory) → ir al baño, hacer pis

5. (= release) to relieve sb of a duty → exonerar a algn de un deber
to relieve sb of a post → destituir a algn
he was relieved of his command → fue relevado de su mando
let me relieve you of your coat → permítame tomarle el abrigo
to relieve sb of his wallet (hum) → quitar la cartera a algn, robar la cartera a algn

6. (Mil) [+ city] → descercar, socorrer; [+ troops] → relevar
I'll come and relieve you at six → vengo a las seis a relevarte

7. to relieve the poor (= help) → socorrer a los pobres

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relieve [rɪˈliːv] vt

(= lessen) [+ pain, stress, anxiety] → soulager; [+ boredom, monotony] → briser
This injection will relieve the pain → Cette piqûre va soulager la douleur.
to relieve sb of sth [+ pain, stress, anxiety] → soulager qn de qch

(= take over from) [+ shiftworker, nurse] → prendre la relève de, relever; [+ guard] → prendre la relève de, relever

(= remove from sb) to relieve sb of sth → débarrasser qn de qch
A porter relieved her of her suitcases → Un porteur la débarrassa de ses bagages. (humorous) → soulager qn de qch
They have come up with many new ways to relieve tourists of their cash → Ils ont trouvé de nombreuses manières de soulager les touristes de leur argent.
to be relieved of one's post → être relevé(e) de son poste
to relieve sb of his command → relever qn de ses fonctions

(euphemism) to relieve o.s. (= urinate) → se soulager, faire ses besoins

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relieve

vt

person → erleichtern; (of pain) → befreien von; to feel relieved → erleichtert sein; to be relieved at something → bei etw erleichtert aufatmen; he was relieved to learn that → er war erleichtert, als er das hörte; to relieve somebody’s mind → jdn beruhigen

to relieve somebody of something (of burden, pain) → jdn von etw befreien; of duty, post, command → jdn einer Sache (gen) → entheben (geh); of coat, suitcase → jdm etw abnehmen; (hum) of wallet, purse etc → jdn um etw erleichtern (hum)

(= mitigate) anxiety → mildern, schwächen; pain → lindern; (completely) → stillen; tension, stress → abbauen; pressure, symptoms → abschwächen; monotony (= interrupt) → unterbrechen; (= liven things up) → beleben; poverty → erleichtern; (Med) congestion → abhelfen (+dat); (completely) → beheben; to relieve one’s feelings → seinen Gefühlen Luft machen; the black of her dress was relieved by a white collar → das Schwarz ihres Kleides wurde durch einen weißen Kragen etwas aufgelockert; the new road relieves peak-hour congestion → die neue Straße entlastet den Berufsverkehr; to relieve oneself (euph) → sich erleichtern

(= help) stricken country, refugees etc → helfen (+dat)

(= take over from, also Mil) → ablösen

(Mil) town → entsetzen, befreien

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relieve [rɪˈliːv] vt

a. (pain, anxiety, boredom) → alleviare; (person) → sollevare; (bring help) → soccorrere
I am relieved to hear you are better → sono sollevato dalla notizia che stai meglio
to relieve sb of sth (load) → alleggerire qn di qc (anxiety) → sollevare qn da qc (duty) → esonerare qn da qc
to relieve sb of his command (Mil) → esonerare qn dal comando
to relieve one's anger → sfogare la propria rabbia
to relieve congestion in sth (Med) → decongestionare qc
to relieve o.s. (euph) (go to lavatory) → fare i propri bisogni

b. (take over from) → sostituire; (replace, also) (Mil) → dare il cambio a (Mil) (town) → liberare

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relieve [rɪˈliːv] vt

a. (pain, anxiety, boredom) → alleviare; (person) → sollevare; (bring help) → soccorrere
I am relieved to hear you are better → sono sollevato dalla notizia che stai meglio
to relieve sb of sth (load) → alleggerire qn di qc (anxiety) → sollevare qn da qc (duty) → esonerare qn da qc
to relieve sb of his command (Mil) → esonerare qn dal comando
to relieve one's anger → sfogare la propria rabbia
to relieve congestion in sth (Med) → decongestionare qc
to relieve o.s. (euph) (go to lavatory) → fare i propri bisogni

b. (take over from) → sostituire; (replace, also) (Mil) → dare il cambio a (Mil) (town) → liberare

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relieve → يُخفِف الأعباء zmírnit lindre erleichtern ανακουφίζω aliviar helpottaa soulager olakšati alleviare 安心させる 경감시키다 verlichten lindre ulżyć aliviar облегчать avhjälpa ผ่อนคลาย dindirmek làm dịu đi 减轻