1
general::
noun removal of anxiety/pain ADJ. considerable, deep, enormous, great, huge, immense, intense, overwhelming, tremendous | certain The news of his appointment was received with a certain relief by most people. | sheer | complete | temporary The drugs only provided temporary relief from the pain. | fast, immediate, instant | evident, obvious She smiled with evident relief. | blessed, welcome | pain The injection gives complete pain relief. VERB + RELIEF bring (sb), give (sb), offer (sb), provide (sb with) Morning brought no relief from the heat. | come as The news came as a welcome relief to Brian. | seek She sought relief in drink. | find, get He found relief from his fears in a world of fantasy and art. | experience, feel I felt enormous relief once they phoned. | sense She could sense his relief when she said she wouldn't be leaving. | express RELIEF + VERB come He believes that relief only comes from helping others with their suffering. | flood Relief flooded through me as the aeroplane landed safely. PREP. in ~ She smiled in relief. | out of ~ He hugged her out of sheer relief. | to your ~ To my great relief, she didn't notice that anything was wrong. | with ~ He sighed with relief. | ~ at relief at not having been made a fool of | ~ from relief from hunger | ~ to The news was a huge relief to her. PHRASES a cry/a sigh/tears of relief He breathed a sigh of relief. | a sense/wave of relief food/money/medicine given to people in need ADJ. humanitarian | emergency | famine, flood | foreign, international VERB + RELIEF give sb, provide (sb with), send (sb) The organization provides emergency famine relief. RELIEF + NOUN work She said that the fighting has halted almost all relief work in the area. | effort, operation There was a huge international relief effort to bring help to the stricken area. | package, programme Congress has agreed an $11 million relief package for victims of the hurricane. | aid, supplies | agency, fund, organization | staff, worker | convoy, flight reduction in the amount of tax, etc. you have to pay ADJ. debt, interest, mortgage, tax VERB + RELIEF get, obtain, receive You get mortgage relief of 10% on the next £5,000. | be entitled to, qualify for | apply for, claim, seek RELIEF + VERB be available No tax relief is available in respect of this loss. sth interesting that replaces sth boring ADJ. light | comic VERB + RELIEF give (sb), provide (sb with) The scene provided some comic relief for the audience. PREP. for ~ The comical characters are brought into the story for a little light relief. PHRASES a moment of relief way of decorating wood, stone, etc. ADJ. high The scene has been carved in high relief. | bas, low | carved, sculptured | alabaster, bronze, marble, plaster, stucco | classical, Greek, Roman VERB + RELIEF carve (sth) in RELIEF + NOUN carving, sculpture | panel PREP. in ~ a sculpture in high relief making sth noticeable ADJ. sharp, stark VERB + RELIEF bring sth into, throw sth into (often figurative) The proximity of the wealthy suburb to the squatter camp throws the plight of the squatters into even sharper relief. | stand out in The snow-capped mountains stood out in sharp relief against the blue sky.
2
general::
relief adjectives a great/enormous/tremendous etc relief • It was a great relief to him when she returned safely. a welcome relief • The holiday was a welcome relief from the pressure of work. verbs come as a relief • The court's decision came as a huge relief to Microsoft. feel relief • I felt nothing but relief when it was over. relief floods through somebody literary • When she heard he was still alive, relief flooded through her. phrases a sense/feeling of relief • She was filled with an overwhelming sense of relief. breathe/heave a sigh of relief • United fans breathed a huge sigh of relief as Drogba's shot was tipped over the bar. what a relief • What a relief to be able to say what I really feel! such a relief • It's just such a relief to have found someone! relief 2 NOUN + relief disaster/emergency relief • Our objective is to provide food aid and emergency relief to developing countries. famine/flood relief • We donated $1,000 to the American Red Cross for flood relief. relief + NOUN a relief agency/organization • Relief agencies reported that many of the refugees had arrived in a terrible condition. relief supplies/aid • US troops had helped distribute relief supplies to Kurdish refugees in northern Iraq. relief efforts • In areas severely affected by the earthquake, it is difficult to coordinate relief efforts. a relief operation • UN officials accused the government of obstructing relief operations in the south of the country. a relief worker • The relief workers have to bring in clean drinking water by tanker. relief work • The charity raised over five million pounds for relief work. a relief convoy/flight • A relief convoy of 10 trucks set off with food and medical supplies.