Meaning & use
relax
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To rest and let go of stress or worry, so that you feel calm.
Grammar: No object: I relax after work.
Patterns
- relax with something
- relax and do something
I like to relax with a book after dinner.
Try to relax before the exam.
After the long drive, they relaxed by the pool.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To make a muscle or part of the body less tight.
Grammar: Takes an object when you relax a body part; no object when the muscle itself relaxes.
Patterns
- relax your shoulders
- your muscles relax
Relax your shoulders and breathe out slowly.
His muscles relaxed in the warm water.
She relaxed her grip on the rope.
verbtransitive
To make a rule, control or demand less strict.
Grammar: Takes an object such as rules or restrictions.
Patterns
- relax a rule
- relax restrictions
The school relaxed its rules on phones.
The government relaxed the travel restrictions.
The coach relaxed his demands after the loss.
verbintransitiveinformal
To tell someone not to worry or be so tense, often used as a command.
Grammar: Often used in the imperative: relax, it is fine.
Patterns
- Relax!
Relax, we still have plenty of time.
Just relax; the dog won't bite.
Relax! It's only a small mistake.
Word forms
| third person singular | relaxes |
|---|---|
| past tense | relaxed |
| past participle | relaxed |
| -ing form | relaxing |
Common combinations
- sit back and relax
- Sit back and relax while I make dinner.
- relax your muscles
- Relax your muscles one by one, starting with your feet.
- relax the rules
- The school may relax the rules for older students.
- time to relax
- After exams it is time to relax.
- relax and unwind
- We went to the spa to relax and unwind.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unwind
- Unwind suggests releasing stress after a hard day, while relax is broader.
- loosen
- Loosen describes making something less tight physically, and it does not suggest feeling calm.
- rest
- Rest means stopping activity, but you can rest without actually feeling relaxed.
- chill
- Chill is informal slang for relax, used among friends.
Opposites
Word family
- relaxation noun
- the state of being calm or the activity that gives rest
- relaxed adjective
- calm and not worried
- relaxing adjective
- making you feel calm
- relaxant noun
- something that reduces tension, especially a drug
Commonly confused: relax or relaxed?
relax vs relaxed
Relaxed describes how a person feels, but relaxing describes something that makes you feel calm: I am relaxed after a relaxing bath.
Practice
The government decided to ___ the rules on travel after the outbreak ended.
Choose one answer.
To relax a rule means to make it less strict. Relapse, relate and release look similar but do not fit the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “relax”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.