relieve distress

distress — n Distress, suffering, misery, agony, dolor, passion are comparable when denoting the state of one that is in great trouble or in pain of mind or body. Distress commonly implies conditions or circumstances that cause physical or mental stress or… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

Relieve — Re*lieve (r? l?v ), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Relieved} ( l?vd ); p. pr. & vb. n. {Relieving}.] [OE. releven, F. relever to raise again, discharge, relieve, fr. L. relevare to lift up, raise, make light, relieve; pref. re re + levare to raise, fr.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

relieve — ► VERB 1) alleviate or remove (pain, distress, or difficulty). 2) (usu. be relieved) cause (someone) to stop feeling distressed or anxious. 3) release (someone) from duty by taking their place. 4) (relieve of) take (a burden or responsibility)… …   English terms dictionary

distress — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ acute, considerable, deep, extreme, great, immense (BrE), severe, significant ▪ genuine, real …   Collocations dictionary

relieve — verb (relieved; relieving) Etymology: Middle English releven, from Anglo French relever to raise, relieve, from Latin relevare, from re + levare to raise more at lever Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. to free from a burden ; give aid or… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

relieve — verb ADVERB ▪ temporarily ▪ completely, partially VERB + RELIEVE ▪ attempt to, try to ▪ They try to relieve the symptoms of depre …   Collocations dictionary

relieve — relievable, adj. relievedly /ri lee vid lee/, adv. /ri leev /, v., relieved, relieving. v.t. 1. to ease or alleviate (pain, distress, anxiety, need, etc.). 2. to free from anxiety, fear, pain, etc. 3. to fr …   Universalium

relieve — verb /ɹɪˈliːv/ a) To ease (a person, persons thoughts etc.) from mental distress; to stop (someone) feeling anxious or worried, to alleviate the distress of. This shall not relieve either Party of any obligations. b) To ease (someone, a part of… …   Wiktionary

distress — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) n. discomfort, pain; trouble, affliction, trial, privation, harassment, grief, anxiety; calamity, adversity. See poverty, difficulty. II (Roget s IV) n. 1. [Mental agony] Syn. worry, anxiety, perplexity …   English dictionary for students

relieve — I (Roget s IV) v. 1. [To replace] Syn. release, remove, take over for, cover for, spell*, discharge, force to resign; see also dismiss 1 , 2 , substitute 2 . 2. [To lessen] Syn. assuage, alleviate, soothe, comfort, allay, lighten, mitigate, ease …   English dictionary for students

relieve — verb 1》 alleviate or remove (pain, distress, or difficulty).     ↘cause (someone) to stop feeling distressed or anxious. 2》 release (someone) from duty by taking their place. 3》 (relieve someone of) take (a burden or responsibility) from someone …   English new terms dictionary