1. (v. t.) To lift up; to raise again, as one who has fallen; to cause to rise.

2. (v. t.) To cause to seem to rise; to put in relief; to give prominence or conspicuousness to; to set off by contrast.

3. (v. t.) To raise up something in; to introduce a contrast or variety into; to remove the monotony or sameness of.

4. (v. t.) To raise or remove, as anything which depresses, weighs down, or crushes; to render less burdensome or afflicting; to alleviate; to abate; to mitigate; to lessen; as, to relieve pain; to relieve the wants of the poor.

5. (v. t.) To free, wholly or partly, from any burden, trial, evil, distress, or the like; to give ease, comfort, or consolation to; to give aid, help, or succor to; to support, strengthen, or deliver; as, to relieve a besieged town.

6. (v. t.) To release from a post, station, or duty; to put another in place of, or to take the place of, in the bearing of any burden, or discharge of any duty.

7. (v. t.) To ease of any imposition, burden, wrong, or oppression, by judicial or legislative interposition, as by the removal of a grievance, by indemnification for losses, or the like; to right.

abate abet abridge absolve act for aid allay alleviate alternate anesthetize appease assist assuage assure avail bail out be light bear a hand bear up befriend benefit benumb bereave bleed break up change places with cheer comfort condole with console cover crowd out curtail cushion cut off cut out deaden deaden the pain decrease deliver deprive deprive of differ differentiate diminish disburden discharge disencumber disentitle dispense displace dissent disunify divaricate diverge diversify divest do a hitch do a stint do a tour do good do time doctor double for drain dull ease ease matters ease one of encourage enlist excuse favor fill in fill in for foment free ghost ghostwrite give a boost give a hand give a lift give comfort give help give relief have a go have little weight have tenure hearten help hold office keep a watch kick the beam knock off knock over lay lend a hand lend one aid lessen let liberate lift lighten lighten one of loot lull make light make lighter milk mine mitigate moderate mollify numb off-load pad palliate pinch-hit plunder poultice pour balm into pour oil on proffer aid protect put at ease qualify quiet raise rally ransack re-up reassure reclaim redeem reduce reduce weight reenlist release remedy render assistance replace represent rescue restore resuscitate revive rid rifle rob salve save serve time set at ease set up sign up slacken slake soften solace soothe spare spell spell off stand in for stick up stupe sub subdue subrogate substitute substitute for succeed succor supersede supplant supply support swap places with sympathize with take away from take from take in tow take over take turns tap temper time off unballast unburden understudy for unlade unload variate variegate vary weigh lightly