Verb: relieve ri'leev
- Provide physical relief, as from pain
"This pill will relieve your headaches";
- alleviate, palliate, assuage
- (medicine) provide relief for
"relieve his illness";
- remedy
- Alleviate or remove (pressure or stress) or make less oppressive
"relieve the pressure and the stress";
- lighten
- Lessen the intensity of or calm
"relieve the fears";
- still, allay, ease
- Free from a burden, evil, or distress
"The good news relieved her of her worries"
- Free someone from an obligation, duty, payment, or punishment
"Please relieve me from this class";
- excuse, let off, exempt
- Free someone temporarily from his or her obligations
"Can you relieve me for lunch break?";
- take over
- Grant relief or an exemption from a rule or requirement to
"She relieved me from the exam";
- exempt, free
- Prevent being ruined, destroyed, lost, or harmed
"The emergency funds helped relieve the struggling business";
- salvage, salve, save
- Relieve oneself of troubling information
"She finally relieved herself of the secret";
- unbosom [archaic]
- Take by stealing
"The thief relieved me of $100"
Derived forms: relieved, relieves, relieving
Type of: absolve, alter, ameliorate, amend, better, care for, change, comfort, confide, console, deliver, discharge, disembarrass, free, improve, meliorate, mend, mitigate, modify, rescue, rid, solace, soothe, take, treat
Encyclopedia: Relieve