relieve
relieve — 動詞
1. to reduce how strong an unpleasant bodily sensation or emotional trouble feels —
減輕；緩解
讓疼痛、憂慮等不適感變弱
to reduce how strong an unpleasant bodily sensation or emotional trouble feels — for example, taking medicine that relieves a headache, or hearing a kind word that relieves worry about an exam result.
Jisoo took a painkiller to relieve the ache in her lower back.
Jisoo 吃了止痛藥來減輕她下背的酸痛。
relieve + ache — physical pain as object
The doctor's calm voice relieved Tomás's fear about the surgery.
醫生平靜的聲音緩解了 Tomás 對手術的恐懼。
A warm bath often relieves muscle soreness after a long run.
在長跑後洗個熱水澡常能緩解肌肉酸痛。
Knowing that the test results were fine relieved Yael's anxiety completely.
得知考試結果沒問題後，Yael 的焦慮完全消除了。
文法句型
relieve + feeling (pain / stress / anxiety)
用法筆記
Object is always an unpleasant feeling or sensation — pain, stress, fear, anxiety, soreness. Not used with pleasant emotions.
常見錯誤
2. to make a difficult or problematic set of circumstances less severe or more mana
緩和；改善
讓困難的情況不再那麼嚴重
to make a difficult or problematic set of circumstances less severe or more manageable — for example, building a new road to relieve traffic jams, or a loan that relieves a family's money troubles.
The new train line helped relieve overcrowding on the morning commute.
新的火車路線有助於緩解早上通勤時的擁擠。
relieve + overcrowding — abstract problem as object
Kwame hoped the loan would relieve his family's financial difficulties.
Kwame 希望這筆貸款能緩解家裡的經濟困難。
Planting more trees along the main road relieved some of the noise pollution.
在大馬路旁多種樹，減輕了一些噪音污染。
Diplomatic talks relieved tensions between the two neighbouring countries.
外交會談緩和了兩個鄰國之間的緊張局勢。
- worsen
to make a bad situation even worse
- exacerbate
formal term for making a problem more severe
文法句型
relieve + situation (congestion / tension / shortage)
用法筆記
Object is an abstract problem or situation (congestion, tension, shortage, difficulty), not a person or a physical feeling. Distinguish from sense 1, which targets emotional or physical sensations.
常見錯誤
3. to give food, money, medical care, or other forms of assistance to people who ar
救濟；援助
提供食物、金錢等幫助受苦的人
to give food, money, medical care, or other forms of assistance to people who are suffering or living in very difficult conditions — for example, a charity that sends clean water to relieve families caught in a drought.
International charities sent supplies to relieve the flood victims.
國際慈善機構運送物資來救濟洪水災民。
relieve + victims — people in crisis as object
The government set up temporary camps to relieve families who lost their homes.
政府設立了臨時帳篷區，以援助失去家園的家庭。
Emergency workers arrived quickly to relieve the survivors of the earthquake.
救難人員迅速趕到，援助地震的倖存者。
A local food bank was opened to relieve residents living below the poverty line.
當地一間食物銀行成立，用來援助生活在貧窮線以下的居民。
文法句型
relieve + people (victims / refugees / families)
用法筆記
Direct object is people or groups in need, not the bad situation itself. The focus is on providing tangible help rather than improving an abstract condition. Distinguish from sense 2, where the object is a problem or circumstance.
常見錯誤
4. to step in for someone who is on duty so that they can stop and go have a break
接替；換班
去接手別人的工作，讓對方休息
to step in for someone who is on duty so that they can stop and go have a break — for example, a security guard who comes at midnight to relieve the evening guard, or a nurse who relieves a colleague after a long shift.
Rachid relieved his colleague at the reception desk after lunch.
Rachid 在午餐後接替了同事的櫃檯工作。
relieve + colleague — taking over someone's post
The night nurse arrives at 11 p.m. to relieve the evening shift worker.
夜班護士在晚上十一點來接替晚班的人。
A substitute teacher relieved Ms. Chen for the rest of the week.
代課老師接了陳老師接下來一整個星期的課。
Coast Guard crews relieve each other every twelve hours during a storm rescue.
在暴風雨救援任務中，海岸防衛隊每十二小時互相換班。
- replace
more general; can be permanent or temporary
- take over for
phrasal verb, informal; to assume someone's role or duties
- spell
informal; to take turns working with someone, especially in demanding jobs
文法句型
relieve + person (colleague / guard / worker)
用法筆記
The person relieving and the person being relieved are both typically in the same role or job. Often used for shift work, guard duty, or any scheduled rotation where one person takes over from another.
常見錯誤
5. to attack enemy forces that have surrounded a town, city, or fort, in order to b
解圍
用武力解除敵人對某地的包圍
to attack enemy forces that have surrounded a town, city, or fort, in order to break the siege and let the trapped people go free — for example, army troops that arrive to relieve a village cut off by opposing soldiers.
Government troops relieved the fort after a three-month siege.
政府軍在圍困三個月後解了那座堡壘的圍。
relieve + fort — military end of siege
The armoured division was sent to relieve the city before supplies ran out.
裝甲師被派去解圍，以免城中的補給耗盡。
Naval forces relieved the coastal town blocked by enemy ships.
海軍部隊解除了敵艦對那個沿海小鎮的封鎖。
In 1944, allied soldiers arrived to relieve the surrounded village.
1944 年，盟軍士兵抵達，解救了被包圍的村莊。
文法句型
relieve + place (town / city / fort)
用法筆記
Restricted to military or historical contexts. The object is always the place that has been surrounded, not the enemy army.
常見錯誤
6. a formal expression used to say that someone passes liquid waste from their body
上廁所
委婉地說去排尿
a formal expression used to say that someone passes liquid waste from their body, avoiding more direct or casual terms — the phrase 'relieve oneself' is the standard form, as in asking at a hotel front desk where a guest can relieve oneself.
During the long bus ride, Walid asked the driver where he could relieve himself.
在長途巴士上，Walid 問司機哪裡可以去上廁所。
relieve oneself — reflexive euphemism for urinating
The hikers stopped behind a large rock to relieve themselves before continuing.
登山客們停在一塊大岩石後面方便了一下，然後繼續前進。
Kian excused himself from the dinner table to relieve himself before the speeches began.
Kian 禮貌地離開餐桌，在演講開始前去上廁所。
Signs at the park entrance directed visitors to a building where they could relieve themselves.
公園入口的告示指引遊客到一棟建築物裡上廁所。
文法句型
relieve oneself
用法筆記
The phrase 'relieve oneself' is the standard polite form. Using 'relieve' alone without a reflexive pronoun does not carry this meaning. This sense is more common in British English and formal written signs than in casual American conversation.
常見錯誤
7. to add variety or something different to a dull, repetitive situation in order t
調劑；打破
加入變化，讓枯燥的情況變有趣
to add variety or something different to a dull, repetitive situation in order to make it more enjoyable or interesting — for example, a short game that relieves the boredom of a long training session.
Ravindra told a humorous story to relieve the boredom of the long car trip.
Ravindra 講了個幽默的故事，來調劑長途車程的無聊。
relieve + boredom — dullness as object
Bright paintings on the office walls helped relieve the dull atmosphere.
辦公室牆上鮮豔的畫作有助於打破沉悶的氣氛。
The teacher used a short vocabulary game to relieve the monotony of grammar drills.
老師用一個簡短的單字遊戲來打破文法練習的單調。
Leaving the city for a weekend relieved the same daily schedule Marco had been following.
週末離開城市，調劑了 Marco 日復一日的例行作息。
文法句型
relieve + dullness (boredom / monotony / sameness)
用法筆記
Object is typically an abstract noun describing dullness or repetition: boredom, monotony, sameness. This sense often carries a positive meaning — the variety is welcomed as a refreshing change.
常見錯誤
8. to take money, valuables, or other possessions away from a person by theft, almo
偷走；竊取
以偷竊的方式拿走他人的財物
to take money, valuables, or other possessions away from a person by theft, almost always used in the structure 'relieve someone of something' — for example, a pickpocket who relieves a tourist of their wallet on a crowded subway train.
A pickpocket relieved Tuan of his wallet during the crowded festival.
扒手在熱鬧的節慶活動中偷走了 Tuan 的錢包。
relieve someone of something — stealing pattern
The thieves relieved the museum of several valuable paintings.
竊賊從博物館偷走了好幾幅珍貴的畫作。
Erik was relieved of his watch by someone on the overnight train.
Erik 在夜間火車上被人偷走了手錶。
The burglars relieved the elderly couple of their life savings.
竊賊偷走了一對老夫婦一生的積蓄。
- steal from
more direct and informal; focuses on the victim
- rob
to take property illegally, often using force or threat
文法句型
relieve + person + of + thing (steal pattern)
用法筆記
The pattern is always 'relieve someone of something' — the victim is the direct object and the stolen item follows 'of'. This is a formal or literary euphemism for stealing, often used for dramatic or ironic effect.