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1. Provide physical relief, as from pain
   "This pill will relieve your headaches";
   - alleviate, palliate, assuage
    
2. Free someone temporarily from his or her obligations
   - take over
    
3. Grant relief or an exemption from a rule or requirement to
   "She relieved me from the exam";
   - exempt, free
    
4. Lessen the intensity of or calm
   "relieve the fears";
   - still, allay, ease
    
5. Prevent being ruined, destroyed, lost, or harmed
   - salvage, salve, save
    
6. Relieve oneself of troubling information
   - unbosom
    
7. (medicine) provide relief for
   "relieve his illness";
   - remedy
    
8. Free from a burden, evil, or distress
    
9. Take by stealing
   "The thief relieved me of $100"
    
10. Grant exemption or release to
    "Please relieve me from this class";
    - excuse, let off, exempt
     
11. Alleviate or remove (pressure or stress) or make less oppressive
    "relieve the pressure and the stress";
    - lighten

Derived forms: relieving, relieved, relieves

Type of: absolve, ameliorate, amend, better, care for, comfort, confide, console, deliver, discharge, disembarrass, free, improve, meliorate, mend, mitigate, rescue, rid, solace, soothe, take, treat

Encyclopedia: Relieve