relief
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɹɪˈliːf/
rhymes: -iːf
Forms: form: reliefs
Etymology: From Old French relief (“assistance”), from Old French relever (“to relieve”), from Latin relevare (“to raise up, make light”). See also relieve.
Senses: examples: text: I sighed with relief when I found out that my daughter hadn't got lost, but was waiting for me at home.
text: Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness,[…]. It was with a palpable relief that he heard the first warning notes of the figure.
ref: 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
synonyms: word: ease
word: alleviation
word: liss
word: respite
word: alleviation
word: comfort
word: consolation
word: ease
word: liss
word: release
word: relief
word: respite
word: solace
glosses: The removal of stress or discomfort.
examples: text: Tony's face expressed relief, and Nettie sat silent for a moment until the vicar said “It was a generous impulse, but it may have been a momentary one,[…].”
ref: 1907 January, Harold Bindloss, chapter 20, in The Dust of Conflict, 1st Canadian edition, Toronto, Ont.: McLeod & Allen, →OCLC:
text: DfT's action was greeted with great relief in many quarters.
ref: 2020 April 8, Philip Haigh, “Out of the current crisis we could see meaningful changes”, in Rail, page 56:
synonyms: ease
alleviation
liss
glosses: The feeling associated with the removal of stress or discomfort.
glosses: Release from a post or duty, as when replaced by another.
examples: text: Officer Schmidt can finally go home because his relief has arrived.
text: At Leeds a relief crew was waiting—but without a relief locomotive; after some discussion, the new men offered to take on the A3. [...].
ref: 1963 February, “Motive Power Miscellany: London Midland Region”, in Modern Railways, page 136:
synonyms: stand-in
substitute
backup
fill-in
glosses: The person who takes over a shift for another.
examples: text: Relief arrived quickly after the disaster.
text: On busy days, they also may be seen bowling along the Brighton main line, north of Keymer Junction, with a relief Newhaven boat express, […].
ref: 1950 November, R. A. H. Weight, “A Railway Recorder in Southern England”, in Railway Magazine, page 772:
glosses: Aid or assistance offered in time of need.
topics: government
military
politics
war
glosses: Military assistance to break a siege or an encirclement.
topics: law
glosses: Court-ordered compensation, aid, or protection, a redress.
glosses: A lowering of a tax through special provisions; tax relief.
glosses: A certain fine or composition paid by the heir of a tenant upon the death of the ancestor.
topics: golf
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: Permission for a player to move their ball to a more convenient spot before taking a shot, under certain circumstances.
Derived terms: ancillary relief
breathe a sigh of relief
comic relief
corollary relief
debt relief
half-relief
high relief
hydrostatic pressure relief system
indoor relief
judicial relief
low relief
outdoor relief
out-relief
pain relief
poor relief
prayer for relief
relief agency
relief drinking
relief pitcher
relief printing
relief teacher
relief tube
relief valve
relief worker
relieve
sigh of relief
strain relief
tax relief
that's a relief