relax

verb

ri-LAKS/ɹɪˈlæks/

Formsrelaxes, relaxing, relaxed

9 meanings of relax

Practice

1
verbintransitive
To rest and recover from stress or tension.
We relax on the porch every evening after dinner.
He needs to relax before the big interview tomorrow.
Similarunwind
Note
Nothing has to be done to the subject here; people simply relax. The verb pairs naturally with a place (relax in the living room) or with a method introduced by by plus an -ing verb (relax by listening to music). Unwind and chill out are close substitutes, and chill out is the more casual of the two. When something does the calming to someone else, English switches to the causative use: amusement relaxes the mind.
2
verbtransitive
To free someone, or someone's mind, of stress; to help them rest or calm down.
Her reassuring words relaxed the whole team before the launch.
A short walk can relax you more than an hour of sitting.
Similarcalm, soothe, settle, comfort
Oppositeunsettle, agitate, stress
3
verbintransitive
To become less severe, strict, or tense.
Relations between the rivals slowly relax when trade resumes.
Her stern expression relaxed into a gentle smile.
Similarease, soften, thaw, loosen
Oppositeharden, stiffen, tighten
4
verbtransitive
To cause something to become less severe or tense.
Stretching exercises relax the muscles after a hard workout.
A few kind words relaxed the tension in the negotiation.
Similarease, loosen, relieve, soften
Oppositetighten, tense
Note
Abstract objects are typical: one relaxes discipline, or relaxes one's attention or endeavors. With attention and effort the verb means slackening, and it often carries a warning, since to relax your attention is to let it lapse. The image is still the loosened rope, carried over to things held firm by will rather than by force.
5
verbtransitive
To ease rules, codes, or restrictions so that they become more lenient.
The government relaxed travel restrictions after infection rates dropped.
Schools agreed to relax their uniform rules for the summer term.
Similarease, loosen, soften, moderate
Oppositetighten, toughen
Note
A word of statutes and courts: legislatures and judges relax laws, doctrines and restrictions. Jonathan Swift wrote in 1713 that the statute of mortmain "was at several times relaxed by the legislature." In this register the verb is often passive, with the rule as subject and the lawmaker introduced by by. It suggests loosening a rule rather than abolishing it.
6
verbintransitive
To become more lenient or less strict.
Lending standards relaxed as the economy recovered.
Censorship rules tend to relax during periods of political openness.
Similarease, loosen, slacken, soften
Oppositetighten
7
verbintransitive
To loosen or become less taut.
The straps relaxed once the buckle was released.
Over time, the tightly wound spring will relax.
Similarexpand
Oppositetighten
8
verbtransitive
To cause something to become loose.
He relaxed the reins to let the horse slow down.
Gentle stretches relax the stiff tendons in the legs.
Similarloosen, slacken, ease
Oppositetighten, tense
Note
The root of every other sense: Latin relaxāre, built from re- "back" and laxāre "loosen", from laxus "loose". Here the loosening is literal: a rope, a cord, the muscles or sinews, anything that has been held tight. Milton's Paradise Lost (1667) uses it of a body giving way in fear: "Horror […] all his joynts relax'd." The calmer, gentler senses of the word still carry this image of slackened tension.

Less common meaning

9
verbdatedtransitive
To relieve someone from constipation by loosening or opening the bowels.
Apothecaries sold syrups that claimed to relax the bowels overnight.
The old physician used senna to relax a patient bound up for days.
Similarloosen
Note
Old medical English, now dated: a remedy relaxes the bowels when it purges them. The construction is fixed, with the medicine or aperient as subject and the bowels as object. In modern writing the phrase can read oddly, as though the gut were being soothed. Outside historical or deliberately old-fashioned prose, it is clearer to say a remedy loosens the bowels or relieves constipation.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of relax apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Middle English relaxen, via Old French relaxer, from Latin relaxāre ("relax, loosen, open"), formed from re- ("back") plus laxāre ("loosen"), which derives from laxus ("loose, free").