relief

noun re·lief \ ri-ˈlēf \

|Updated on: 14 Jul 2018

Examples: relief in a Sentence

Definition of relief

1 : a payment made by a male feudal tenant to his lord on succeeding to an inherited estate

2 a : removal or lightening of something oppressive, painful, or distressing

b : welfare 2a

c : military assistance to an endangered post or force

d : means of breaking or avoiding monotony or boredom : diversion

3 : release from a post or from the performance of duty

4 : one that takes the place of another on duty

5 : legal remedy or redress

[French, from Middle French, from Italian rilievo relievo]

a : a mode of sculpture in which forms and figures are distinguished from a surrounding plane surface

b : sculpture or a sculptural form executed in this mode

c : projecting detail, ornament, or figures

7 a : sharpness of outline due to contrast

a roof in bold relief against the sky

b : the state of being distinguished by contrast

throws the two opinions into bold relief

8 : the elevations or inequalities of a land surface

9 : the pitching done by a relief pitcher

two innings of hitless relief

See relief defined for English-language learners

See relief defined for kids

Examples of relief in a Sentence

I felt such a sense of relief after I finished my thesis.
He expressed relief that the crisis was finally over.
Much to everyone's relief, the airplane took off without any problems.
What a relief it is to be back home.
Exercise is an excellent source of stress relief.
Both candidates promised tax relief for middle-class families.
Countries from around the world have been sending relief to the flood victims.
We donated to the relief effort for the hurricane victims.
My father lost his job and we had to go on relief.

Recent Examples of relief from the Web

The world is enjoying something rare today: A collective sigh of relief.

— ellen mcgirt, Fortune, "What's Next For The Rescued Thai Soccer Team?," 10 July 2018
Despite Trump suggesting that there are more tariffs to come, the fact that they’ve not been put in place gives markets a little bit of relief.

— annabelle liang, The Seattle Times, "Asian markets mirror optimism on Wall Street," 10 July 2018
One bit of relief in Orlando: 4 percent of landlords made concessions in June, according to ALN Data, which averaged 5.3 percent of the asking price.

— bill zimmerman, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando rents spike as more millennials consider home buying," 9 July 2018
But the average American will have to wait longer for any relief.

— ed silverman, STAT, "He can shame Pfizer and others, but Trump doesn’t have a practical way to lower drug prices," 9 July 2018
The Indiana Pacers officially sign guards Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott Clark Wade/IndyStar LAS VEGAS – At least for one day, T.J. Leaf can breathe a sigh of relief.

— j. michael, Indianapolis Star, "If former first-round pick T.J. Leaf is going to crack Pacers lineup, he's got to pick it up," 8 July 2018
Pivetta, of course, picked up a victory since then by giving the Phillies a scoreless 13th inning of relief Sunday against the Nats.

— bob brookover, Philly.com, "For Phillies, PNC Park has been a torture chamber | Extra Innings," 6 July 2018
After 31/3 scoreless innings of relief from Frank Duncan, Hartford reliever Mitch Horacek surrendered two runs in the sixth on a wild pitch and an RBI single by Danny Mars to give the Sea Dogs a 5-4 advantage.

— staff report, courant.com, "Tendler's Pinch-Hit Homer In 9th Lifts Sea Dogs Past Yard Goats," 4 July 2018
The reaction from women showrunners, stars, and writers has been overwhelmingly one of relief at no longer being outnumbered by men.

— refinery29.com, "Record Scratch: Only 6% Of Your Favorite Shows Use Music Composed By Women," 1 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'relief.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of relief

Origin and Etymology of relief

Middle English relef, relief, from Anglo-French from relever to relieve

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

relief Synonyms

Synonyms

alleviation, comfort, ease, release;

Near Antonyms

discomfort, unrest;

agony, anguish, misery, suffering, torment, torture;

ache, pain, pang, prick, smart, sting, stitch, throe, tingle, twinge;

calming, salving, soothing;

relief

adjective

Definition of relief

1 : providing relief

2 : characterized by surface inequalities

3 : of or used in letterpress

First Known Use of relief

1776

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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RELIEF Defined for English Language Learners

relief

noun

Definition of relief for English Language Learners

: a pleasant and relaxed feeling that someone has when something unpleasant stops or does not happen
: the removal or reducing of something that is painful or unpleasant
: things (such as food, money, or medicine) that are given to help people who are victims of a war, earthquake, flood, etc.

RELIEF Defined for Kids

relief

noun re·lief \ ri-ˈlēf \

Definition of relief for Students

1 : the feeling of happiness that occurs when something unpleasant or distressing stops or does not happen

What a relief to be home safe.

2 : removal or lessening of something painful or troubling

I need relief from this headache.

3 : something that interrupts in a welcome way

The rain was a relief from dry weather.

4 : release from a post or from performance of a duty

relief of a guard

5 : welfare 2

6 : a sculpture in which figures or designs are raised from a background

7 : elevations of a land surface

The map shows relief.

Medical Dictionary

relief

noun re·lief \ ri-ˈlēf \

medical Definition of relief

: removal or lightening of something oppressive or distressing

relief of pain

symptomatic relief

Law Dictionary

relief

noun re·lief

legal Definition of relief

: redress, assistance, or protection given by law especially from a court

should state what relief the plaintiff seeks

: as

a : release from obligation or duty

relief from judgment

b : an order from a court granting a particular remedy (as return of property)

injunctive relief

declaratory relief

— see also remedy

Learn More about relief

See words that rhyme with relief Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for relief Spanish Central: Translation of relief Nglish: Translation of relief for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of relief for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about relief

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relief

Definition of relief

Examples of relief in a Sentence

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Illustration of relief

Origin and Etymology of relief

relief Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

relief

Definition of relief

First Known Use of relief

Phrases Related to RELIEF

Related Phrases

RELIEF Defined for English Language Learners

relief

Definition of relief for English Language Learners

RELIEF Defined for Kids

relief

Definition of relief for Students

Medical Dictionary

relief

medical Definition of relief

Law Dictionary

relief

legal Definition of relief

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