relief
noun
reĀ·lief
| \ ri-ĖlÄf
\
\
Definition of relief
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a payment made by a male feudal tenant to his lord on succeeding to an inherited estate
2a
: removal or lightening of something oppressive, painful, or distressing
b
: welfare sense 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
6 [ 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
7a
: 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
relief
adjectiveDefinition of relief (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: providing relief
2
: characterized by surface inequalities
3
: of or used in letterpress
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Examples of relief in a Sentence
Noun
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 on the Web: Noun
That announcement was a big relief to the 6.7 million residents of South Florida, but bad news for the 70,000 people living in the Bahamas. — Wired, "Why Hurricane Dorian Defied Forecasts and Sank The Bahamas," 4 Sep. 2019 For the most part, the shopping ban came as a relief. — Annaliese Griffin, Quartz, "To insulate yourself from the trade war, stop buying new stuff," 1 Sep. 2019 For a tense 13 days that October, people across the nation held their collective breath, but were able to breathe a sigh of relief when the terms were agreed upon. — Linda Gandee/special To Cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Veterans get together at Bay Village post to remember, socialize and mend fences but numbers are dwindling," 26 Aug. 2019 With every birthday through my late 30s and into my 40s there's been a growing relief. — NBC News, "I love my child-free life. Why do other people have such a problem with it?," 24 Aug. 2019 But watching Harvey end his second big league relief appearance with a 100 mph fastball and get his first major league victory Tuesday night had to be chicken soup for the soul of their beleaguered fan base. — Peter Schmuck, baltimoresun.com, "Schmuck: Oriolesā arrival of Hunter Harvey, early progress of Adley Rutschman make rebuild more bearable," 22 Aug. 2019 My taking over the driving was a relief for all of us. — Chris Rush, Harper's magazine, "Love and Acid," 19 Aug. 2019 But at least one person saw the finale as a relief: George R.R. Martin, the writer of the books that the series was based on. — Alexandra Ossola, Quartzy, "The end of HBOās āGame of Thronesā has actually been a relief for George R.R. Martin," 18 Aug. 2019 Depending on your e-bike expectations, this is either a relief or a drag. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "RadWagon electric cargo bike review: the SUV of e-bikes," 8 Aug. 2019These 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.
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More Definitions for relief
relief
noun
English Language Learners Definition of relief
: 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.
See the full definition for relief in the English Language Learners Dictionary
relief
noun
reĀ·lief
| \ ri-ĖlÄf
\
\
Kids Definition of relief
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 sense 2
6
: a sculpture in which figures or designs are raised from a background
7
: elevations of a land surface
The map shows relief.