Illustration of relief
- relief 6b
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
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
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
Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
From the vantage point of a chaotic bedtime, the safety concerns about melatonin can feel academic, privileging unknown or speculative harms (such as the possibility of long-term side effects) over the chance of immediate relief.
—ArsTechnica, 8 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for relief
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Noun
People are increasingly looking for relief, and tax policy is one of the most direct levers states and governments can pull.
—Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
From the vantage point of a chaotic bedtime, the safety concerns about melatonin can feel academic, privileging unknown or speculative harms (such as the possibility of long-term side effects) over the chance of immediate relief.
—ArsTechnica, 8 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for relief
Cite this Entry
“Relief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relief. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
relief
noun
re·lief
ri-ˈlēf 
: removal or lightening of something oppressive or distressing
relief of pain
symptomatic relief
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