relieve meaning
relieve :
to ease, to reduce
verb
▪ The medicine relieved his headache.
▪ The medicine eased his headache.
▪ She relieved him of his duties.
▪ She eased him from his duties.
paraphrasing
▪ ease – to make less painful or severe
▪ reduce – to make smaller or less
▪ alleviate – to make easier
▪ lighten – to make less heavy
Pronunciation
relieve [rɪˈliːv]
The stress is on the second syllable 'leev', and it sounds like 'ri-leev'.
Common phrases and grammar about relieve
relieve - Common meaning
verb
to ease, to reduce
Part of Speech Changes for "relieve"
▪ relief (noun) – a reduction of pain or stress
▪ relieved (adjective) – feeling less pain or stress
▪ reliever (noun) – something that reduces pain
Common Expressions with "relieve"
▪ provide relief – make pain or stress better
▪ relieve stress – reduce stress
▪ relieve pressure – lessen pressure
▪ relieve responsibilities – free from duties
Important examples of relieve in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC vocabulary questions, relieve is often used to talk about reducing pain or stress.
Example of a confusing word: release (to set free)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
Relieve is used as a transitive verb, needing an object in grammar questions.
relieve
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
take a break to relieve stress
means 'take a break to reduce stress', used in workplace contexts.
pass the shift to relieve someone
means 'take over someone’s work hours', used in job settings.
Differences between similar words and relieve
relieve
,
ease
differences
relieve is used to make something better generally, while ease is often used to make a particular discomfort or pain less.
relieve
,
alleviate
differences
relieve is a more general term for making better, while alleviate specifically refers to reducing pain or making something easier.
Words with the same origin as relieve
The origin of relieve
relieve comes from the Latin 'relevare,' which means 'to lift again' or 'to lighten.'
Word structure
It has the prefix 're' (again), root 'lev' (light), and suffix 'e', so relieve means 'to lighten again'.
Words with the same origin
The root of relieve is 'lev' (light). Words with the same root include elevate, levitate, lever, and levity.
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