relax meaning
relax :
to become calm, to rest
Verb
▪ She likes to relax after work.
▪ She likes to rest after work.
▪ He relaxed in the garden.
▪ He rested in the garden.
paraphrasing
▪ unwind – to become less tense
▪ rest – to stop working and be calm
▪ loosen – to make less tight
▪ ease – to make less hard or tense
Pronunciation
relax [rɪˈlæks]
The stress is on 'lax' and sounds like 'ri-laks'.
Common phrases and grammar about relax
relax - Common meaning
Verb
to become calm, to rest
Part of Speech Changes for "relax"
▪ relaxation (noun) – the state of being calm or resting
▪ relaxed (adjective) – calm or not tense
Common Expressions with "relax"
▪ relax at home – to rest at home
▪ relax after work – to rest after working
▪ relax in the evening – to rest in the evening
▪ relax with music – to rest while listening to music
Important examples of relax in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC vocabulary questions, relax often means to become less tense or to rest.
Example of a confusing word: release (to set free)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
Relax is used as a verb and often appears in questions asking for the action of becoming calm.
relax
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
relax and unwind
'to become calm and less tense', used to describe taking a break.
take it easy
means 'to relax', used informally to suggest resting.
Differences between similar words and relax
relax
,
unwind
differences
Relax is to become calm generally, while unwind is often used after stress or work.
Words with the same origin as relax
The origin of relax
The word relax comes from the Latin 'relaxare', meaning 'to loosen'.
Word structure
It has the prefix re (again), root lax (loosen), and means 'to loosen again'.
Words with the same origin
The root of relax is lax (loosen). Words with the same root include laxative (a medicine to loosen the bowels).
