relief

noun re·lief \ ri-ˈlēf \

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

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

Investors, who had been wary of his pledge to undo recent pro-market policies and his significant lead in presidential polls, breathed a sigh of relief.

— Bloomberg.com, "Prison Awaits Brazil’s Iconic Ex-President Lula After Court Loss," 5 Apr. 2018
Chris Stamos got the win for St. Francis (3-9) with two spotless innings of relief.

— staff reports, latimes.com, "Sports Roundup: Beer perfect in Crescenta Valley baseball win over Hoover," 4 Apr. 2018
But its analysis showed that just one day of pain relief is required on average.

— lenny bernstein, chicagotribune.com, "FDA commissioner calls on internet providers to help police opioid offerings," 4 Apr. 2018
Starter Connor Feustle worked five innings for the win and Brad Howell threw two innings of relief.

— baltimoresun.com, "Varsity roundup (April 3): Broadneck upsets No. 2 Severna Park in baseball," 3 Apr. 2018
Chardonnay Harris allowed one earned run on three hits and struck out four over three innings and Swindle (2-1) allowed two earned runs on eight hits over 4.2 innings of relief in the loss.

— james crepea, AL.com, "Auburn softball's late rally for nought, Ole Miss wins in extras on walk-off homer," 1 Apr. 2018
Those six pitchers combined to allow 12 runs on 17 hits and seven walks in 12 innings of relief.

— stefan stevenson, star-telegram, "Rangers Reaction: Four things we know after four games against the Astros | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 1 Apr. 2018
Aiden Baur got the win by throwing an 1 2/3 innings of relief.

— corey sharp, Philly.com, "Saturday's Pa. roundup: Neumann-Goretti edges Springside Chestnut Hill thanks to sacrifice fly," 31 Mar. 2018
The chief’s announcement was expected to bring a modicum of relief to activists and Mr. Sterling’s family members, who have grown increasingly frustrated after the state and federal decisions.

— richard fausset, New York Times, "Baton Rouge Officer Is Fired in Alton Sterling Case as Police Release New Videos," 30 Mar. 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

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

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

Recent Examples of relief from the Web

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

Learn More about relief

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