From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishreliefre‧lief /rɪˈliːf/ ●●○ W2 noun 1 comfort [singular, uncountable]COMFORT/MAKE somebody FEEL BETTER a feeling of comfort when something frightening, worrying, or painful has ended or has not happened → relieve I felt a huge surge of relief and happiness.with relief He watched with relief as the girl nodded.in relief He laughed in relief. No one was hurt, and we all breathed a sigh of relief.it is a relief to see/have/know etc something I hate to say it, but it was a relief to have him out of the house.to somebody’s relief To my relief, they spoke English.what a relief/that’s a relief The doctor said it was just the flu. What a relief!2 reduction of pain [uncountable]COMFORT/MAKE somebody FEEL BETTER when something reduces someone’s pain or unhappy feelings Marijuana can provide pain relief for some cancer patients.relief of the relief of sufferingrelief from The cool room provided relief from the terrible heat outdoors.3 help [uncountable]HELP money, food, clothes etc given to people who are poor or hungry money raised for the relief effortdisaster/famine/flood etc relief famine relief for victims of the drought4 replacement [uncountable]REPLACE a person or group of people that replaces another one and does their work after they have finished the relief for the military guard a relief driver5 decoration [countable, uncountable]AVCS a way of decorating wood, stone etc with a shape or figure that is raised above the surface, or the decoration itself → bas reliefin relief figures carved in relief 6 → bring/throw something into relief7 → light/comic relief8 money [uncountable] old-fashioned especially American EnglishPEWMONEY money given by the government to help people who are poor, old, unemployed etc SYN welfareon relief families on relief during the Depression9 war [uncountable]PM formal the act of freeing a town when it has been surrounded by an enemyrelief of the relief of Mafeking10 → in relief → tax reliefCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: a feeling of comfort when something frightening, worrying, or painful has ended or has not happenedadjectivesa great/enormous/tremendous etc reliefIt was a great relief to him when she returned safely.a welcome reliefThe holiday was a welcome relief from the pressure of work. verbscome as a reliefThe court's decision came as a huge relief to Microsoft.feel reliefI felt nothing but relief when it was over.relief floods through somebody literaryWhen she heard he was still alive, relief flooded through her.phrasesa sense/feeling of reliefShe was filled with an overwhelming sense of relief.breathe/heave a sigh of reliefUnited fans breathed a huge sigh of relief as Drogba's shot was tipped over the bar. what a reliefWhat a relief to be able to say what I really feel!such a reliefIt's just such a relief to have found someone! COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 3: money, food, clothes etc given to people who are poor or hungryNOUN + reliefdisaster/emergency reliefOur objective is to provide food aid and emergency relief to developing countries. famine/flood reliefWe donated $1,000 to the American Red Cross for flood relief.relief + NOUNa relief agency/organizationRelief agencies reported that many of the refugees had arrived in a terrible condition.relief supplies/aidUS troops had helped distribute relief supplies to Kurdish refugees in northern Iraq.relief effortsIn areas severely affected by the earthquake, it is difficult to coordinate relief efforts. a relief operationUN officials accused the government of obstructing relief operations in the south of the country.a relief workerThe relief workers have to bring in clean drinking water by tanker.relief workThe charity raised over five million pounds for relief work.a relief convoy/flightA relief convoy of 10 trucks set off with food and medical supplies.
Examples from the Corpus
relief• relief supplies• Mary says it's a relief to have someone to talk to at last.• It was such a relief to see Liz looking healthy again.• What a relief to finally get away from the office.• What a relief! We were so worried about you.• Tears of joy and relief ran down Nina's cheeks.• A white envelope lay on the mat. Holmes felt considerable relief.• These commitments amount to considerable progress, which should offset some of the disappointment felt over debt relief.• Shawcross raises these questions within the context of disaster relief but they have a broader setting.• She was ashamed, but I felt enormous relief.• It was a great relief to know that the children were safe.• Ensign Korn turned over the watch to his relief.• The decision, announced on Thursday, came as a huge relief to the factory's 300 workers.• Edwards commented that the convictions give him a feeling of relief that he hopes the victim shares.• When the plane finally landed, we all felt a tremendous sense of relief.• You could hear the students breathing a collective sigh of relief when the final bell rang.• She breathed a sign of relief when he finally answered the phone.• To our relief, the deal went through without any problems.• The company has played a leading role year in promoting tax and electric rate relief for Massachusetts businesses.• To Greg's relief, nobody asked to check his ticket.• For some time she had felt a curious weightiness, then sudden relief.• tax relief• The rains came this weekend, much to the relief of tomato growers in Florida.• the relief of Khe Sanh• To her own surprise, she began sobbing with relief.with relief• Alice turned with relief from the messy kitchen.pain relief• Objective assessment of pain in necessary to ensure adequate pain relief.• Particular care needs to be taken over: i. accidents or surgical procedures where anaesthetics and appropriate pain relief must be given.• So, next time these problems come along, you can be sure of fast, effective pain relief with Calpol.• Guidelines are suggested for pain relief and should be tailored to the individual patient's needs.• Such forecasts are like aspirins: they have no long term effect but do bring immediate pain relief.• Give drugs regularly and let the doctor know if you think more pain relief would be helpful.• The advantage of this approach is that pain relief may be obtained without causing disturbance of sensation over the face and cornea.• It takes about 20 minutes to work and can give almost total pain relief.relief effort• In a regional disaster such as a flood or earthquake, there was no way to coordinate relief efforts.• Another issue highlighted in the report was the alleged importation of toxic maize as part of a drought relief effort.• This factor, together with the severe damage caused to the roads and power supplies, greatly hampered relief efforts.• A standing committee was set up to co-ordinate the international relief effort.• But the escalating crisis may now force Western leaders to use military air power to protect relief efforts.• The Soviet relief effort is also employing aircraft.• More tremors hit Cairo More earth tremors have hit Cairo impeding the relief effort following the major earthquake.• But sending out supplies is just part of the relief effort.on relief• Once people get on relief it is hard to get off.From Longman Business Dictionaryreliefre‧lief /rɪˈliːf/ noun1[uncountable] when a bad situation is reduced or stops for a timeAny sign of relief from price pressures will be welcome news for the economy.2money, food, clothes etc given to people who are poor or hungrya relief fund for refugees3American EnglishFINANCE money given by the government to people who are poor, hungry, unemployed etcIn the future, the system simply won’t provide enough relief for low-income people.rising relief spending as unemployment spreadsFarmers will receivefederal relief for crops damaged by drought.4money or special tax arrangements etc given to countries or companies that owe money or have other problemsThe committee will petition the bankruptcy court for appropriate relief.5[countable]HUMAN RESOURCES a person or group of people that does the work of another one after they have finished or if they cannot work at a particular timeI’ve arranged for a relief to cover for me while I’m away.His father and brother fill in as relief drivers.Origin relief (1300-1400) Old French relever; → RELIEVE 