relax
- 01 A1 Beginner
to rest and stop feeling worried or stressed.
to become less tense, anxious, or stressed; to engage in recreation or rest.
Simple“After a long day at work, I like to relax by listening to music.”
In context“Many professionals find it difficult to relax fully during their holidays, as they feel a constant urge to check their work emails.”
Usageoften used as an intransitive verb without an object.
- 02 B1 Intermediate
to make your muscles or body less tight.
to make a part of the body less rigid or tense; to reduce muscular contraction.
Simple“Try to relax your shoulders and breathe deeply.”
In context“The therapist instructed the patient to relax his jaw muscles to alleviate the tension headaches he had been experiencing.”
Usagecan be used transitively with a body part as the object.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
to make a rule, law, or control less severe.
to make a rule, law, or restriction less strict or more lenient.
Simple“The government decided to relax the travel restrictions for the summer.”
In context“Economists argued that the central bank should relax its lending criteria to encourage small business growth during the recession.”
Usageusually takes an abstract noun like 'rules', 'laws', or 'restrictions' as an object.
Antonyms
From Middle English relaxen, from Old French relaxer, from Latin relaxāre (“relax, loosen, open”), from re- (“back”) + laxāre (“loosen”), from laxus (“loose, free”). By surface analysis, re- + lax (“open, free, loose”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.