From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishrelaxre‧lax /rɪˈlæks/ ●●● S3 W3 AWL verb 1 rest [intransitive, transitive]RELAXED to rest or do something that is enjoyable, especially after you have been working I just want to sit down and relax. What Robyn needed was a drink to relax her. A hot bath should help to relax you.2 become calm [intransitive, transitive] to become quiet and calm after you have been upset or nervous, or to make someone do this Once out of danger, he started to relax. Relax! Everything’s fine.3 muscle [intransitive, transitive]LOOSE if you relax a part of your body or it relaxes, it becomes less stiff or less tight Gentle exercise can relax stiff shoulder muscles.4 rules/lawsSTRICT [transitive] to make a rule or law less strictrelax rules/regulations/controls Hughes believes that immigration controls should not be relaxed.5 → relax your hold/grip6 → relax your concentration/vigilance etcTHESAURUSrelax to rest or do something that is enjoyable after you have been workingIn the evenings, I like to relax with some music and a nice meal.In two weeks’ time I’ll be relaxing on a beach in Greece.rest to stop working or stop being active, and sit down or lie down so that you become less tiredIf you’re tired, we’ll stop and rest for a while.The doctor told me to take some time off work and try to rest.unwind to gradually relax after you have been working hard or feeling anxiousIt had been a bad day and he just wanted to get home and unwind.Set in spectacular countryside, the Shiga Hotel is the perfect place to unwind. take it/things easy to relax and not do very much, especially after working very hard or being illNow that you’ve finished your exams, you can take it easy.The doctor said he’ll have to take things easy for while.put your feet up informal to rest for a short time after a tiring activity, especially by sitting with your feet resting on somethingKate poured herself a drink and put her feet up.When you’re pregnant and doing a full-time job, you must find time to put your feet up.chill out/chill informal to relax completely, or stop worrying and getting annoyed about things – used mainly by young peopleWe spent the day chilling out by the pool.Hey dude, chill out! It’s only a car! It’s a great place to chill out.Let’s go back to my place and chill. loosen up informal to become more relaxed and stop worrying about thingsI keep telling Mum that she needs to loosen up a bit.Tom had had a few drinks and was beginning to loosen up.put somebody at ease/make somebody feel at ease to make someone feel relaxed, especially in a situation in which they might feel a little nervousA good interviewer will try to make you feel at ease.His friendly manner always puts people at their ease. → See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
relax• Drink this. It will help you relax.• At the sound of her voice, something in me relaxed.• The cockpit crew, including Joe who had never been in a gale before in his life, began to relax.• Take a deep breath, and relax.• Just sit back and relax, and enjoy the music.• Trained staff will look after your children, so that you can relax and enjoy yourself.• They had a lovely weekend, relaxing and lying by the pool.• We sat and relaxed for an hour, or two.• For heaven's sake Keith, will you just sit down and relax for five minutes!• What Robin needed was a good drink to relax her.• The drink relaxed him so much he fell asleep.• Local residents are protesting against plans to relax laws controlling pub opening hours.• Just wait! In two weeks' time I'll be relaxing on a beach in Greece.• In the evening the aim is to relax the body.• Postponement, says Kohl, is unacceptable, but so is relaxing the rules of entry.• The government proposes to relax the rules on bringing pets into the country.• Meditation relaxes you and makes you feel more healthy.• Hey, relax, you're going to be all right.relax rules/regulations/controls• Several new relaxations were announced, and the intention to continue relaxing controls as circumstances permitted was reaffirmed.• Last September the Government relaxed rules on foreign workers coming to Britain to combat skills shortages.From Longman Business Dictionaryrelaxre‧lax /rɪˈlæks/ verb relax rules/laws/restrictions etc to make rules etc less strictThe country decided to relax its rules on the foreign ownership of its airlines.Many employers are taking steps toward relaxed dress codes (=being allowed to dress informally at work) .→ See Verb tableOrigin relax (1300-1400) Latin relaxare “to loosen”, from laxus “loose” 