Relieve Meaning
/ɹɪˈliːv/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo ease (a person, person's thoughts etc.) from mental distress; to stop (someone) feeling anxious or worried, to alleviate the distress of.
verbTo ease (someone, a part of the body etc.) or give relief from physical pain or discomfort.
Sentence Examples
Do you have anything to relieve a headache?
The doctor gave him some drugs to relieve the pain.
The doctor prescribed medicine to relieve the patient's severe pain.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor prescribed the medicine to ____ the patient's chronic back pain.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The doctor prescribed medication to ____ the patient's chronic back pain and improve her daily mobility.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better."
— 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
"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."
— 1994, John H. Makin, Norman J. Ornstein, Debt and Taxes: How America Got into Its Budget Mess and What We Can Do about It, New York, NY: Times Books, →ISBN, page 52:
"Carrados was carrying a small leather case which he allowed Loudham to relieve him of, together with his hat and gloves."
— 1923, Ernest Bramah, The Eyes of Max Carrados:
"They had thought it obsolete, but, were relieved of this misapprehension by Yule’s friend Major Trotter."
— 2014, James Lambert, “A Much Tortured Expression: A New Look at ‘Hobson-Jobson’”, in International Journal of Lexicography, volume 27, number 1, page 57:
"The henna should be deeply dyed to make / The skin relieved appear more fairly fair […]"
— 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, III.76:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor prescribed the medicine to ____ the patient's chronic back pain.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The doctor prescribed medication to ____ the patient's chronic back pain and improve her daily mobility.