Relief I News Extra Examples Rɪˈliːf Felt Huge

• i felt a huge sense of relief when i heard they were all ok.
• we all breathed a sigh of relief when he left.
• much to my relief the car was not damaged.
• news of their safety came as a great relief.

relief

1. the feeling of happiness that you have when something unpleasant stops or does not happen
• I felt a huge sense of relief when I heard they were all OK.
• We all breathed a sigh of relief when he left.
• Much to my relief the car was not damaged.
• News of their safety came as a great relief.
• She sighed with relief.
• He smiled in relief as he saw them both.
• She had gone through hell and there was no relief in sight for her.
• This was a great relief to him.
• It was a relief to be able to talk to someone about it.
• It was a relief to her to realize that she was not the only one with this problem.
• His mother spoke of her relief that he was now safely home.
• It is actually a relief that it's finally happened.
• She expressed relief at the outcome of the investigation.
• He described his relief at securing his freedom.
• What a relief!

Extra Examples

• He believes that relief only comes from helping others with their suffering.
• He hugged her out of sheer relief.
• I felt enormous relief once they phoned.
• I felt enormous relief when he walked through the door.
• Relief flooded through me as the aeroplane landed safely.
• She could sense his relief when she said she wouldn't be leaving.
• She smiled in relief.
• She smiled with evident relief.
• She sought relief in drink.
• The news came as a welcome relief to Bobby.
• The news of his appointment was received with a certain relief by most people.
• The news was a huge relief to her.
• Their relief at the news was palpable.
• To my great relief, she didn't notice that anything was wrong.
• relief at not having been made a fool of
2. the act of removing or reducing pain, worry, etc.
• modern methods of pain relief
• the relief of symptoms/suffering/poverty/pain
• The drugs only provided temporary relief from the pain.
• All the tables in the shade were occupied by people seeking relief from the heat.
• Massage can bring some relief from tension.

Extra Examples

• Exercise is good for stress relief.
• The injection gives complete pain relief.
• Your doctor can give you symptomatic relief, but there is no cure.
• Morning brought no relief from the heat.
• relief from hunger
• He found relief from his fears in a world of fantasy and art.
3. food, money, medicine, etc. that is given to help people in places where there has been a war or natural disaster
• SYNONYM aid
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/aid_2
• disaster relief
• relief efforts/operations
• relief organizations/supplies/work
• We raised £5 000 for famine relief.
• One relief agency worker described the situation as ‘catastrophic’.

Extra Examples

• There was a huge international relief effort to bring help to the stricken area.
• We need long-term solutions as well as short-term emergency relief.
• The organization provides emergency famine relief.
• She said that the fighting has halted almost all relief work in the area.
• An effective multinational force will help speed delivery of humanitarian relief.
4. financial help given by the government to people who need it
5. a reduction in the amount of tax you have to pay
• relief on mortgage interest payments

Extra Examples

• No tax relief is available in respect of this loss.
• You can get income tax relief for gifts to charity.
• You get mortgage relief of 10% on the next £5 000.
• the abolition of mortgage interest relief
6. something that is interesting or fun that replaces something boring, difficult or unpleasant for a short period of time
• a few moments of light relief in an otherwise dull performance
• There was little comic relief in his speech.
• The calm of the countryside came as a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Extra Examples

• The comical characters are brought into the story for a little light relief.
• The scene provided some comic relief for the audience.
7. a person or group of people that replaces another when they have finished working for the day or when they are sick
• The next crew relief comes on duty at 9 o'clock.
• We have a pool of relief drivers available to us.
8. the act of freeing a town, etc. from an enemy army that has surrounded it
• the relief of Mafeking
9. a way of decorating wood, stone, etc. by cutting designs into the surface of it so that some parts stick out more than others; a design that is made in this way
• SEE ALSO bas-relief
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/bas-relief
• The column was decorated in high relief (= with designs that stick out a lot) with scenes from Greek mythology.
• The bronze doors are covered with sculpted reliefs.

Extra Examples

• The scene has been carved in high relief.
• a sculpture in high relief
10. the effect of colours, light, etc. that makes an object easier to notice than others around it
• The snow-capped mountain stood out in sharp relief against the blue sky.
11. the quality of a particular situation, problem, etc. that makes it easier to notice than before
• Their differences have been thrown into sharp relief by the present crisis.
• The proximity of the wealthy suburb to the squatter camp throws the plight of the squatters into even sharper relief.

Word Origin

• late Middle English: from Old French, from relever ‘raise up, relieve’, from Latin relevare ‘raise again, alleviate’.