Relief News Rɪˈliːf Breathed Sigh Sense Sighed Great

• a sense of relief
• we all breathed a sigh of relief when he left.
• she sighed with relief.
• much to my relief the car was not damaged.

relief

1. the feeling of happiness that you have when something unpleasant stops or does not happen
• a sense of relief
• We all breathed a sigh of relief when he left.
• She sighed with relief.
• Much to my relief the car was not damaged.
• News of their safety came as a great relief.
• It was a relief to be able to talk to someone about it.
• What a relief!
2. the act of removing or reducing pain, anxiety, etc.
• modern methods of pain relief
• the relief of suffering
• Massage can bring some relief from tension.
• Volunteers provide regular help to give relief to carers.
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_1
• famine relief
• a relief agency/organization/worker
4. financial help given by the government to people who need it
• see also debt relief
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/debt-relief
• = tax relief
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/tax-relief
• relief on mortgage interest payments
5. something that is interesting or enjoyable 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.
6. 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.
• relief drivers
7. the act of freeing a town, etc. from an enemy army that has surrounded it
• the relief of Mafeking
8. 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.
9. the effect of colours, light, etc. that makes an object more noticeable than others around it
• The snow-capped mountain stood out in sharp relief against the blue sky.
10. the quality of a particular situation, problem, etc. that makes it more noticeable than before
• Their differences have been thrown into sharp relief by the present crisis.

Extra Examples

• Exercise is good for stress relief.
• He believes that relief only comes from helping others with their suffering.
• He breathed a sigh of relief.
• He found relief from his fears in a world of fantasy and art.
• He hugged her out of sheer relief.
• He sighed with relief.
• I felt enormous relief once they phoned.
• I felt enormous relief when he walked through the door.
• Morning brought no relief from the heat.
• No tax relief is available in respect of this loss.
• Relief flooded through me as the aeroplane landed safely.
• She could sense his relief when she said she wouldn’t be leaving.
• She said that the fighting has halted almost all relief work in the area.
• She smiled in relief.
• She smiled with evident relief.
• She sought relief in drink.
• The comical characters are brought into the story for a little light relief.
• The drugs only provided temporary relief from the pain.
• The injection gives complete pain relief.
• 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.
• The organization provides emergency famine relief.
• The proximity of the wealthy suburb to the squatter camp throws the plight of the squatters into even sharper relief.
• The scene has been carved in high relief.
• The scene provided some comic relief for the audience.
• The snow-capped mountains stood out in sharp relief against the blue sky.
• Their relief at the news was palpable.
• There was a huge international relief effort to bring help to the stricken area.
• To my great relief, she didn’t notice that anything was wrong.
• We need long-term solutions as well as short-term emergency relief.
• You can get income tax relief for gifts to charity.
• You get mortgage relief of 10% on the next £5 000.
• Your doctor can give you symptomatic relief, but there is no cure.
• a pressure relief valve
• a sculpture in high relief
• relief at not having been made a fool of
• relief from hunger
• the abolition of mortgage interest relief
• News of their safe arrival came as a great relief.
• One relief agency worker described the situation as ‘catastrophic’.
• The next crew relief comes on duty at 9 o’clock.
• We all breathed a sigh of relief when he came back safely.
• We have a pool of relief drivers available to us.
• We raised £5 000 for famine relief.
• What a relief!
• modern methods of pain relief
• the relief of poverty/misery/suffering

Word Origin

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