📒 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.
📒 the act of removing or reducing pain, worry, etc.
- modern methods of pain relief
- relief of something the relief of symptoms/suffering/poverty/pain
- relief from something The drugs only provided temporary relief from the pain.
📒 food, money, medicine, etc. that is given to help people in places where there has been a war or natural disaster
- disaster relief
- relief efforts/operations
- relief organizations/supplies/work
📒 financial help given by the government to people who need it
📒 a reduction in the amount of tax you have to pay
- relief on mortgage interest payments
- No tax relief is available in respect of this loss.
- You can get income tax relief for gifts to charity.
📒 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.
- relief from something The calm of the countryside came as a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of city life.
📒 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.
📒 the act of freeing a town, etc. from an enemy army that has surrounded it
📒 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
- 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.
- The scene has been carved in high relief.
📒 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.
📒 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.