relief

1 of 2

noun

re·​lief ri-ˈlēf How to pronounce relief (audio)
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
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
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

Illustration of relief

Illustration of relief
  • relief 6b

relief

2 of 2

adjective

1
: providing relief
2
: characterized by surface inequalities
3
: of or used in letterpress

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
Markets like certainty, and because both candidates have already been president, there’s some relief about the familiarity and knowledge of what to expect, said Angelo Kourkafas, senior investment strategist at Edward Jones. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024 The honor helped usher in large crowds of epicureans and brought some relief to the business after a lag in patronage and eventually, Grosz earned enough to purchase the historic home that houses the restaurant. Detroit Free Press, 5 Mar. 2024 Others have simply tagged her in videos, expressing relief that her baby has died instead of theirs. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 Consumer advocates praised the measure as providing welcome relief for millions of credit card users, but business interests accused regulators of overstepping their authority and promised legal action to prevent the rule from going into effect. Scott Horsley, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024 Central to Screen Ireland’s support is its Section 481 tax relief, a globally competitive incentive allowing producers to claim back 32% of their spend on film, TV and animation. Alex Ritman, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024 The overnight heat relief is planned for Burton Barr Public Library, on Central Avenue south of McDowell Road, and Senior Opportunities West Center, at Seventh Avenue and Buckeye Road. Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 Prosecutors said the pair illegally applied for and collected $176,000 in federal COVID-19 relief funds, then spent the money on personal expenses, credit card payments and campaign debt. Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024 These borrowers do not need to take any further action to receive relief. Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024
Adjective
The Supreme Court has previously rejected requests to hear other cases where anti-relief plaintiffs had been dismissed by lower courts. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 15 Dec. 2022 The anti-relief faction, with its sudden warnings about deficits, is eager to revive the Tea Party spirit, and its would-be leaders are ur-Tea Partyers like Rand Paul and Ted Cruz. Ross Douthat New York Times, Star Tribune, 4 Aug. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'relief.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1776, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of relief was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near relief

Cite this Entry

“Relief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relief. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

relief

noun
re·​lief
ri-ˈlēf
1
a
: removal or lightening of something painful, troubling, burdensome, or dangerous
c
: military assistance to a post or force in extreme danger
d
: a means of breaking boredom : diversion
a quick swim was a welcome relief from the job
2
: release from duty
3
: one that takes the place of another on duty
4
: the legal correction of a wrong
5
a
: elevation of figures or designs from the background (as in sculpture)
b
: a work of art with such raised figures
c
: projecting detail or figures in sculpture
6
: sharpness of outline
a roof in bold relief against the sky
7
: the elevations of a land surface
a map showing relief

Medical Definition

relief

noun
re·​lief ri-ˈlēf How to pronounce relief (audio)
: removal or lightening of something oppressive or distressing
relief of pain
symptomatic relief

Legal Definition

relief

noun
re·​lief
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on relief

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