relief
/rɪˈliːf/ (bre, ipa) · /rɪˈliːf/ (ame, ipa) · /ri-ˈlēf/ (ame, mw)
relief — noun
- reliefsingular
- reliefsplural
1. The pleasant feeling you get when a worry, fear, or uncomfortable situation goes
The pleasant feeling you get when a worry, fear, or uncomfortable situation goes away or turns out better than you feared.
Zayd let out a deep breath of relief when the exam results arrived.
collocation: breath of relief
To everyone's relief, the storm changed direction and missed the town.
fixed phrase: to one's relief
It was such a relief to hear that the surgery went well.
The Okonkwo family felt great relief after finding their lost cat.
Much to Antonia's relief, the knee pain finally disappeared after a week of rest.
文法句型
to one's relief
what a relief
relief at / when…
用法筆記
Often used in fixed expressions: 'to one's relief', 'what a relief', and 'it is a relief to...'. For physical pain, use 'relief from' rather than bare 'relief'.
常見錯誤
2. Food, water, medicine, money, or other help provided to people who are suffering
Food, water, medicine, money, or other help provided to people who are suffering because of a war, natural disaster, or severe poverty.
International relief agencies sent food and clean water to the flooded region.
collocation: relief agencies
The government announced new relief funds for families affected by the earthquake.
collocation: relief funds
Volunteers distributed relief supplies to thousands of homeless families after the hurricane.
The charity focused on providing medical relief in areas where hospitals had been destroyed.
Many countries contributed to the relief effort after wildfires destroyed entire villages.
- aid
broader term; can be any kind of help, not just emergency
- assistance
more formal and general
- humanitarian aid
specifically for crisis situations; more formal
文法句型
relief + noun (relief fund / relief effort)
relief for + noun phrase
用法筆記
Common before nouns: relief agency, relief worker, relief fund, relief supplies. Can also refer to 'tax relief' — a reduction in the amount of tax owed.
常見錯誤
3. In baseball, the period of throwing done by a pitcher who enters the game to rep
In baseball, the period of throwing done by a pitcher who enters the game to replace a pitcher who has already left the mound.
Rodrigo pitched three innings of relief and did not allow a single run.
pattern: innings of relief
The team's relief pitcher struck out four batters in a row to end the game.
collocation: relief pitcher
The manager called for relief in the seventh inning after the starter got tired.
Sana has been the best relief pitcher in the league for the past two seasons.
- starting pitching
the pitcher who begins the game, replaced by relief
文法句型
in relief
innings of relief
relief pitcher
用法筆記
Baseball-specific. The opposite is 'starting pitching'. Relief pitchers are also called 'relievers' or 'bullpen pitchers'.
4. A technique for decorating a flat surface such as wood, stone, or metal by cutti
A technique for decorating a flat surface such as wood, stone, or metal by cutting away the background so that the design sticks out from the surface.
The ancient temple walls were decorated with intricate relief carvings of flowers and animals.
collocation: relief carving
The artist created a beautiful relief in wood, showing a family gathered around a fire.
Students learned the difference between high relief and low relief in their art class.
The museum displayed a stone relief that told the story of a famous battle.
- bas-relief
specifically low relief where the design projects only slightly
- embossing
a similar technique for paper or metal, usually done by pressing rather than carving
文法句型
in relief
relief carving / sculpture
用法筆記
The technique itself is uncountable ('carved in relief'). Individual works are countable ('a stone relief'). 'High relief' means the design stands out a lot; 'low relief' (also called 'bas-relief') means it stands out only slightly.
常見錯誤
5. A sculpture or carved design in which the shapes stand out from a flat backgroun
A sculpture or carved design in which the shapes stand out from a flat background surface, as opposed to a fully three-dimensional statue.
The limestone relief above the door showed a king hunting deer with his men.
Devika admired the marble relief of dancers on the old palace wall.
pattern: relief of [subject]
The church had a wooden relief of the Last Supper behind the altar.
Tariro bought a small brass relief of birds from the local market.
- carving
broader; can refer to work that is fully three-dimensional
- bas-relief
a specific type of relief sculpture where the design projects only slightly
- frieze
a long, narrow relief placed high on a wall, usually telling a story
- freestanding sculpture
a statue that is fully three-dimensional and not attached to a background
文法句型
a + adjective + relief + of + noun phrase
用法筆記
A countable noun — you can have 'a relief' or several 'reliefs'. Some reliefs are portable panels, while others are carved directly onto building walls as permanent decoration.
6. Someone who takes over a job or shift so that the usual worker can rest, go off
Someone who takes over a job or shift so that the usual worker can rest, go off duty, or take time off.
The night-shift relief arrived at ten o'clock to take over from the day team.
Mira worked as a relief driver during the holidays when many staff were on leave.
collocation: relief driver
The hospital called in a relief nurse for the morning shift.
Security guards work twelve-hour shifts, and then a relief comes to replace them.
- replacement
more general; can be for any role, not just shift work
- substitute
common in teaching and sports
- stand-in
informal; often used in film or theater
文法句型
a relief + noun (driver / nurse / worker)
the relief arrives / comes
用法筆記
Used especially for shift-based jobs: nursing, security, factory work, and driving. The relief allows the previous worker to rest or go off duty.
常見錯誤
7. an enjoyable activity or event that breaks up a period of boredom or difficulty
an enjoyable activity or event that breaks up a period of boredom or difficulty by giving you something different to focus on
After three hours of homework, Yan found relief by playing a short game on his phone.
relief + by + V-ing: activity that breaks boredom
The comedy show was a welcome relief from the serious tone of the training course.
welcome relief from + noun
For Apinya, gardening offered relief from the daily stress of her office job.
The children treated the trip to the museum as light relief during exam week.
Kofi needed some comic relief after dealing with angry customers all morning.
- diversion
more formal; emphasises turning attention away from routine
- distraction
suggests something that stops you focusing on what is unpleasant
- break
more general; a pause from an activity
文法句型
relief + from + noun/gerund
a welcome/light/comic + relief
用法筆記
Often paired with adjectives like welcome, light, or comic to describe the type of break.
常見錯誤
8. a legal order or compensation provided by a court to someone who has suffered a
a legal order or compensation provided by a court to someone who has suffered a wrong or loss
The court granted relief to the tenants by ordering the landlord to fix the broken pipes.
grant relief to + affected party
Mateo sought legal relief after a former business partner stole his client list.
seek legal relief
The judge denied the request for injunctive relief because the evidence was not strong enough.
Self-employed workers in the region can apply for tax relief on their home office costs.
Faisal's lawyer argued that monetary relief alone would not fix the harm done to his reputation.
- redress
formal; emphasises correction of a wrong
- remedy
any legal solution, not just financial
- compensation
narrower; only covers money or payment
- injustice
the wrong that legal relief aims to correct
文法句型
seek/grant/deny + relief
relief + for + affected party
用法筆記
Commonly used in formal legal contexts. Often appears with specific adjectives: injunctive relief (a court order to stop or force an action), monetary relief (financial compensation), tax relief (a reduction in the amount of tax owed).
常見錯誤
9. the action of ending a military siege by driving enemy forces away from a surrou
the action of ending a military siege by driving enemy forces away from a surrounded town or position
The army marched through the night to bring relief to the besieged city.
bring relief to + besieged place
Naval ships were sent for the relief of the soldiers trapped at the coastal fort.
the relief of + military position
The long-awaited relief of the garrison finally arrived by helicopter just before dawn.
After weeks under siege, the town celebrated the arrival of the relief force.
Salma's grandfather served in the unit that led the relief of the surrounded battalion.
- liberation
broader; can apply to any freeing from control or occupation
- rescue
more general; used for any dangerous situation, not only military
- siege
the state that relief aims to end
- encirclement
the surrounding of a position by enemy forces
文法句型
the relief of + besieged place
bring relief to + besieged place
用法筆記
This sense is almost always used in military-historical contexts. The pattern 'relief of + [place/force]' is the most common grammatical frame. Distinguish from sense 2 (AID) — sense 9 is specifically about breaking a military siege, not about humanitarian assistance.
常見錯誤
10. the effect created when something is easy to see or notice because it clearly st
the effect created when something is easy to see or notice because it clearly stands out from its background or surroundings
The white lighthouse stood out in sharp relief against the dark grey sky.
in sharp relief against (visual contrast)
Lakan's orange backpack was in vivid relief against the green forest path.
in vivid relief against
The problem of school funding came into stark relief when the budget cuts were announced.
Dark letters carved in relief against the pale stone made the name easy to read.
The differences between the two plans were thrown into relief by the new teacher's report.
- contrast
straightforward; 'in contrast to' is more common in everyday speech
- prominence
emphasises the state of being noticeable rather than the cause
文法句型
in + adjective + relief + against + background
stand out / come into / throw into + relief
用法筆記
Can be used literally (visual contrast) or figuratively (a problem or difference becoming obvious). Frequently appears in fixed phrases: in sharp/clear/stark/strong relief. The figurative use ('the issue came into stark relief') is very common in news and academic writing.
常見錯誤
relief — adjective
- reliefpositive
- more reliefcomparative
- most reliefsuperlative
1. describes a person, thing, or service that gives help, support, or a reduction o
describes a person, thing, or service that gives help, support, or a reduction of difficulty or burden
The relief workers brought food and water to the village after the flood.
collocation: relief workers
Min pitched three perfect innings as a relief pitcher for the Tigers.
collocation: relief pitcher
Ezra showed his class a relief map of the mountain range.
The new relief road cut travel time across the city by nearly half.
Lakshmi volunteered for a relief organisation helping families find housing.
- emergency
overlaps in contexts like emergency/relief response, but emergency suggests urgency while relief focuses on ongoing assistance
- auxiliary
more formal; used for supplementary systems (auxiliary road vs. relief road), but lacks the connotation of reducing burden
- substitute
used when one person replaces another (substitute pitcher vs. relief pitcher), though substitute is broader and less tied to aid
- humanitarian
limited to aid contexts (humanitarian aid vs. relief aid); does not cover sports, maps, or traffic uses
用法筆記
Always placed before a noun. Forms common compound nouns such as relief worker, relief pitcher, relief map, and relief road.