relieve Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb provide physical relief, as from pain
    assuage; palliate; alleviate.
    • This pill will relieve your headaches
  2. verb free someone temporarily from his or her obligations
    take over.
  3. verb grant relief or an exemption from a rule or requirement to
    free; exempt.
    • She exempted me from the exam
  4. verb lessen the intensity of or calm
    allay; still; ease.
    • The news eased my conscience
    • still the fears
  5. verb save from ruin, destruction, or harm
    save; salvage; salve.
  6. verb relieve oneself of troubling information
    unbosom.
  7. verb provide relief for
    remedy.
    • remedy his illness
  8. verb free from a burden, evil, or distress
  9. verb take by stealing
    • The thief relieved me of $100
  10. verb grant exemption or release to
    excuse; let off; exempt.
    • Please excuse me from this class
  11. verb alleviate or remove (pressure or stress) or make less oppressive
    lighten.
    • relieve the pressure and the stress
    • lighten the burden of caring for her elderly parents

WordNet

Re*lieve" transitive verb
Etymology
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.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Relieved present participle & verbal noun Relieving
Definitions
  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 et 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 cruches; to render less burdensome or afflicting; to allevate; 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.

Webster 1913