# relax

/ɹiˈɫæks/ (US) · /ɹɪlˈæks/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/relax
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to rest and calm down

verb · CEFR A1

to rest and stop feeling worried or stressed.

For teachers: to become less tense, anxious, or stressed; to engage in recreation or rest.

- After a long day at work, I like to relax by listening to music.
- Many professionals find it difficult to relax fully during their holidays, as they feel a constant urge to check their work emails.

Usage: often used as an intransitive verb without an object.

### 2. to loosen muscles

verb · CEFR B1

to make your muscles or body less tight.

For teachers: to make a part of the body less rigid or tense; to reduce muscular contraction.

- Try to relax your shoulders and breathe deeply.
- The therapist instructed the patient to relax his jaw muscles to alleviate the tension headaches he had been experiencing.

Usage: can be used transitively with a body part as the object.

### 3. to make rules less strict

verb · CEFR B2 · Formal

to make a rule, law, or control less severe.

For teachers: to make a rule, law, or restriction less strict or more lenient.

- The government decided to relax the travel restrictions for the summer.
- Economists argued that the central bank should relax its lending criteria to encourage small business growth during the recession.

Usage: usually takes an abstract noun like 'rules', 'laws', or 'restrictions' as an object.

## Examples

- I like to relax on the sofa after work.
- After a long week of exams, the students went to the beach to relax and enjoy the sun.
- While some people find that physical exercise helps them relax, others prefer quiet activities like reading or meditation to lower their stress levels.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.