relax
[verb]
Synonyms:
- be or feel at ease, calm, chill out (slang, chiefly U.S.), lighten up (slang), rest, take it easy, unwind
- lessen, abate, ease, ebb, let up, loosen, lower, moderate, reduce, relieve, slacken, weaken

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Contrasted words: rack (oneself), tense (up)
Related Idioms: be at ease, breathe easily, feel at home, make oneself at home
Related Words: calm (down), collect (oneself), compose (oneself), cool (off), simmer down

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English Thesaurus: relax, rest, unwind, take it/things easy, put your feet up, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

re‧lax S3 W3 AC /rɪˈlæks/ verb
[Word Family: adjective: relaxed, relaxing; verb: relax; noun: relaxation]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin: relaxare 'to loosen', from laxus 'loose']

1. REST [intransitive and transitive] to rest or do something that is enjoyable, especially after you have been working:
I just want to sit down and relax.
What Robyn needed was a drink to relax her.
A hot bath should help to relax you.

2. BECOME CALM [intransitive and transitive] to become quiet and calm after you have been upset or nervous, or to make someone do this:
Once out of danger, he started to relax.
Relax! Everything’s fine.

3. MUSCLE [intransitive and transitive] if you relax a part of your body or it relaxes, it becomes less stiff or less tight:
Gentle exercise can relax stiff shoulder muscles.

4. RULES/LAWS [transitive] to make a rule or law less strict
relax rules/regulations/controls
Hughes believes that immigration controls should not be relaxed.

5. relax your hold/grip
a) to hold something less tightly than before
relax your hold/grip on
He relaxed his grip on my arm.
b) to become less strict in the way you control something
relax your hold/grip on
The party has no intention of relaxing its hold on the country.

6. relax your concentration/vigilance etc to reduce the amount of attention you give to something

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

relax
verb
ADV. deeply Deeply relax all your muscles.
completely, totally | a little, slightly | just, simply Just relax and take it easy.
gradually, slowly He gradually relaxed and began to enjoy himself.
consciously She realized how tense she was and consciously relaxed.
visibly
VERB + RELAX begin to | try to Just try to relax completely.
learn to | help sb (to) Use music to help you relax.
make sb | appear to, seem to Julie seems to be relaxing a little now.
PREP. against Jenna relaxed against the pillows.
into His severe expression relaxed into a half-smile.
PHRASES lie/sit back and relax, relax and enjoy sth/yourself

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

relax
verb
BAD: I usually relax myself by taking a hot bath.
GOOD: I usually relax by taking a hot bath.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

relax to rest or do something that is enjoyable after you have been working:
In the evenings, I like to relax with some music and a nice meal.
In two weeks’ time I’ll be relaxing on a beach in Greece.
rest to stop working or stop being active, and sit down or lie down so that you become less tired:
If you’re tired, we’ll stop and rest for a while.
The doctor told me to take some time off work and try to rest.
unwind to gradually relax after you have been working hard or feeling anxious:
It had been a bad day and he just wanted to get home and unwind.
Set in spectacular countryside, the Shiga Hotel is the perfect place to unwind.
take it/things easy to relax and not do very much, especially after working very hard or being ill:
Now that you’ve finished your exams, you can take it easy.
The doctor said he’ll have to take things easy for while.
put your feet up informal to rest for a short time after a tiring activity, especially by sitting with your feet resting on something:
Kate poured herself a drink and put her feet up.
When you’re pregnant and doing a full-time job, you must find time to put your feet up.
chill out/chill informal to relax completely, or stop worrying and getting annoyed about things - used mainly by young people:
We spent the day chilling out by the pool.
Hey dude, chill out! It’s only a car!
It’s a great place to chill out.
Let’s go back to my place and chill.
loosen up informal to become more relaxed and stop worrying about things:
I keep telling Mum that she needs to loosen up a bit.
Tom had had a few drinks and was beginning to loosen up.
put somebody at ease/make somebody feel at ease to make someone feel relaxed, especially in a situation in which they might feel a little nervous:
A good interviewer will try to make you feel at ease.
His friendly manner always puts people at their ease.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲