Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective

relax

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Remove ads

English

Etymology

From Middle English relaxen, from Old French relaxer, from Latin relaxāre (“relax, loosen, open”), from re- (“back”) + laxāre (“loosen”), from laxus (“loose, free”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɹɪˈlæks/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -æks

Verb

relax (third-person singular simple present relaxes, present participle relaxing, simple past and past participle relaxed)

  1. (transitive) To make something loose.
    to relax a rope or cord
    to relax the muscles or sinews
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
      Horror […] all his joynts relax'd.
    1. (transitive, dated) To relieve from constipation; to loosen; to open.
      An aperient relaxes the bowels.
  2. (intransitive) To become loose.
    Synonym: expand
  3. (transitive) To relieve (someone or someone's mind) of stress; to enable to rest; to calm down.
    Amusement relaxes the mind.
  4. (intransitive) To rest and become relieved of stress.
    Synonyms: chill out, unwind
    I like to relax by listening to music.
    • 2016, “Let's Learn English level 1”, in VOA Learning English‎, archived from the original on 30 September 2017, Lesson 5: Where Are You?, public domain:
      I relax in the living room.
  5. (transitive) To make something less severe or tense.
    to relax discipline
    to relax one's attention or endeavours
  6. (intransitive) To become less severe or tense.
    Tensions between the two countries have relaxed somewhat in recent weeks.
  7. (transitive) To make something (such as codes and regulations) more lenient.
    • 1713, Jonathan Swift, A Preface to Bishop Burnet's Introduction:
      The statute of mortmain […] was at several times relaxed by the legislature.
    • 1953, “Section 2. Jurisdiction”, in Edward Samuel Corwin, editor, The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation‎, page 589:
      The Court rejected the contention that the doctrine of sovereign immunity should be relaxed as inapplicable to suits for specific relief as distinguished from damage suits, saying: "The Government, as representative of the community as a whole, cannot be stopped in its tracks by any plaintiff who presents a disputed question of property or contract right."
  8. (intransitive, of codes and regulations) To become more lenient.

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Anagrams

Remove ads

French

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Adjective

relax (feminine relaxe, masculine plural relax, feminine plural relaxes)

  1. relaxed
    Synonyms: calme, décontracté, détendu, serein, zen

Further reading

Italian

Spanish

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Remove ads
Remove ads