relax
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re·lax
(rĭ-lăks′)v. re·laxed, re·lax·ing, re·lax·es
v.tr.
1. To make lax or loose: relax one's grip.
2. To make less severe or strict: relax a curfew.
3. To reduce in intensity; slacken: relax one's efforts.
4. To relieve from tension or strain: The warm bath relaxed me.
v.intr.
1. To take one's ease; rest.
2. To become lax or loose.
3. To become less severe or strict.
4. To become less restrained or tense.
[Middle English relaxen, from Old French relaxer, from Latin relaxāre : re-, re- + laxāre, to loosen (from laxus, loose; see slēg- in Indo-European roots).]
re·lax′a·ble adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
relax
(rɪˈlæks)vb
1. to make (muscles, a grip, etc) less tense or rigid or (of muscles, a grip, etc) to become looser or less rigid
2. (intr) to take rest or recreation, as from work or effort: on Sundays, she just relaxes; she relaxes by playing golf.
3. to lessen the force of (effort, concentration, etc) or (of effort) to become diminished
4. to make (rules or discipline) less rigid or strict or (of rules, etc) to diminish in severity
5. (intr) (of a person) to become less formal; unbend
[C15: from Latin relaxāre to loosen, from re- + laxāre to loosen, from laxus loose, lax]
reˈlaxable adj
reˈlaxed adj
relaxedly adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
re•lax
(rɪˈlæks)v.t.
1. to make less tense, rigid, or firm; make lax: to relax the muscles.
2. to diminish the force or intensity of, as effort or concentration; slacken or abate.
3. to make less strict or severe, as rules or discipline.
4. to release or bring relief from the effects of tension, anxiety, etc.
v.i. 5. to become less tense, rigid, or firm.
6. to become less strict or severe.
7. to reduce or stop work, effort, or application for the sake of rest or recreation.
[1350–1400; Middle English < Latin relaxāre loosen, relax =re- re- + laxāre to widen, undo, free, derivative of laxus slack, lax]
re•lax′a•tive, adj.
re•lax′er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
relax
- relax - From Latin re- and laxus, "lax."
- restive, restless - Restive means impatient or fidgety under pressure or restraint; restless is being uneasy, unquiet, or unable to relax or rest.
- creolize - To relax in an elegant fashion in a warm climate.
- rizzle - To relax after a heavy meal.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
relax
When you relax, you make yourself calmer and less worried or tense.
Make the room dark, get into bed, close your eyes, and relax.
Some people can't even relax when they are at home.
Relax is not a reflexive verb. Don't say that you 'relax yourself'.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
relax
Past participle: relaxed
Gerund: relaxing
| Imperative |
|---|
| relax |
| relax |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
relax
To let pastry stand, especially after rolling out, so that it is not stretched.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. |  relax - become less tense, rest, or take one's ease; "He relaxed in the hot tub"; "Let's all relax after a hard day's work"vege out, vegetate - engage in passive relaxation; "After a hard day's work, I vegetate in front of the television" sit back, take it easy - settle into a comfortable sitting position change state, turn - undergo a transformation or a change of position or action; "We turned from Socialism to Capitalism"; "The people turned against the President when he stole the election" |
| 2. | relax - make less taut; "relax the tension on the rope" unbrace - remove from tension | |
| 3. | relax - become loose or looser or less tight; "The noose loosened"; "the rope relaxed" weaken - become weaker; "The prisoner's resistance weakened after seven days" | |
| 4. |  relax - cause to feel relaxed; "A hot bath always relaxes me"affect - act physically on; have an effect upon; "the medicine affects my heart rate" unbend - release from mental strain, tension, or formality; "unbend the mind from absorbing too much information" | |
| 5. | relax - become less tense, less formal, or less restrained, and assume a friendlier manner; "our new colleague relaxed when he saw that we were a friendly group" | |
| 6. | relax - make less severe or strict; "The government relaxed the curfew after most of the rebels were caught" | |
| 7. | relax - become less severe or strict; "The rules relaxed after the new director arrived" change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" | |
| 8. | relax - make less active or fast; "He slackened his pace as he got tired"; "Don't relax your efforts now" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
relax
verb
1. be or feel at ease, chill out (slang, chiefly U.S.), take it easy, loosen up, laze, lighten up (slang), put your feet up, hang loose (slang), let yourself go (informal), let your hair down (informal), mellow out (informal), make yourself at home, outspan (S. African), take your ease I ought to relax and stop worrying about it.
be or feel at ease be alert, be alarmed
be or feel at ease be alert, be alarmed
2. calm down, calm, soothe, unwind, pacify, loosen up, tranquillize Do something that you know relaxes you.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
relax
verb1. To reduce in tension, pressure, or rigidity:
2. To take repose by ceasing work or other effort for an interval of time:
Idioms: lead the life of Riley, take it easy.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يُرْخي، يُخَفِّفيَسْتَرْخِييَسْتَريح، يُرَوِّح عن نَفْسِه
uvolnituvolnit sezmírnit
slappe aflempeløsne
rentoutuahöllentäähöllentyähölletärauhoittua
opustiti se
kipiheni magát
slaka áslaka á, gefa eftir
くつろぐほっとする和らげる緊張を解く緩める
긴장을 풀다
atbrīvot, atslābinātkļūt pielaidīgākamliberalizēt
odpočiti sisprostitisprostiti se
slappna av
พักผ่อน
gevşe mekgevşemeksakinleş mekyumuşa mak
thư giãn
relax
[rɪˈlæks]A. VT [+ person, body, part of body] → relajar; [+ discipline, rules, controls] → relajar; [+ standards] → dejar que bajen
to relax one's muscles → relajar los músculos
to relax one's grip or hold on sth → dejar de agarrarse de or a algo tan apretadamente, soltar algo (fig) → ejercer menor control sobre algo
to relax one's muscles → relajar los músculos
to relax one's grip or hold on sth → dejar de agarrarse de or a algo tan apretadamente, soltar algo (fig) → ejercer menor control sobre algo
B. VI
1. [person] (= rest, lose inhibitions) → relajarse; (= calm down) → relajarse, tranquilizarse; (= amuse oneself) → esparcirse, expansionarse
I like to relax with a book → me gusta relajarme leyendo
relax! everything's fine → ¡tranquilízate! todo está bien
we relaxed in the sun of Majorca → nos relajamos bajo el sol de Mallorca
I find it difficult to relax with her → me resulta difícil estar relajado cuando estoy con ella
I like to relax with a book → me gusta relajarme leyendo
relax! everything's fine → ¡tranquilízate! todo está bien
we relaxed in the sun of Majorca → nos relajamos bajo el sol de Mallorca
I find it difficult to relax with her → me resulta difícil estar relajado cuando estoy con ella
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
relax
[rɪˈlæks] vi
(= unwind) [person] → se détendre
I relax listening to music → Je me détends en écoutant de la musique.
I relax listening to music → Je me détends en écoutant de la musique.
vt
(= soothe) [+ mind, person] → détendre
Soft music helps to relax the mind → La musique douce aide à se détendre l'esprit., La musique douce aide à détendre l'esprit.
Soft music helps to relax the mind → La musique douce aide à se détendre l'esprit., La musique douce aide à détendre l'esprit.
(= loosen) [+ grip] → relâcher, desserrer; [+ muscle] → détendre
He gradually relaxed his grip → Il relâcha graduellement sa prise., Il desserra graduellement sa prise.
He gradually relaxed his grip → Il relâcha graduellement sa prise., Il desserra graduellement sa prise.
(= make less strict) [+ rules, restrictions] → assouplir
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
relax
vt → lockern; muscles also, person, one’s mind → entspannen; attention, effort → nachlassen in (+dat); to relax the bowels (Med) → den Stuhlgang fördern
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
relax
[rɪˈlæks]1. vt (muscles, person) → rilassare; (restrictions) → diminuire; (discipline) → allentare
to relax one's hold on sth → allentare la presa di qc
to relax one's hold on sth → allentare la presa di qc
2. vi (rest) → rilassarsi; (amuse oneself) → svagarsi; (slacken, sb's grip) → allentarsi; (calm down) relax! → calma!
his face relaxed into a smile → il suo viso si distese in un sorriso
his face relaxed into a smile → il suo viso si distese in un sorriso
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
relax
(rəˈlӕks) verb1. to make or become less tight or tense or less worried etc; to rest completely. The doctor gave him a drug to make him relax; Relax your shoulders; He relaxed his grip for a second and the rope was dragged out of his hand.
2. to make or become less strict or severe. The rules were relaxed because of the Queen's visit.
ˌrelaxˈation (riːlӕks-) nounI play golf for relaxation; Golf is one of my favourite relaxations.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
relax
→ يَسْتَرْخِي uvolnit se slappe af entspannen (sich) χαλαρώνω relajarse rentoutua se détendre opustiti se rilassarsi くつろぐ 긴장을 풀다 ontspannen slappe av odprężyć relaxar, relaxar-se расслабиться slappna av พักผ่อน gevşemek thư giãn 放松Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
re·lax
v. relajar el cuerpo, reducir tensión; relajarse; aflojar; descansar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
relax
vt relajar, aflojar; Relax your leg..Relaje (Afloje) la pierna; vi relajarse; Relax..Relájese.English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.