5 VERB [usu passive] If someone is relieved of their duties or is relieved of their post, they are told that they are no longer required to continue in their job. [FORMAL ] □ [be V -ed + of ] The officer involved was relieved of his duties because he had violated strict guidelines.
6 VERB If an army relieves a town or another place which has been surrounded by enemy forces, it frees it. □ [V n] The offensive began several days ago as an attempt to relieve the town.
7 VERB If people or animals relieve themselves , they urinate or defecate. [OLD-FASHIONED ] □ [V pron-refl] It is not difficult to train your dog to relieve itself on command.
re|lieved /r I liː vd/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ , oft ADJ to-inf/that] If you are relieved , you feel happy because something unpleasant has not happened or is no longer happening. □ We are all relieved to be back home.
re|li|gion ◆◇◇ /r I l I dʒ ə n/ (religions )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Religion is belief in a god or gods and the activities that are connected with this belief, such as praying or worshipping in a building such as a church or temple. □ …his understanding of Indian philosophy and religion.
2 N‑COUNT A religion is a particular system of belief in a god or gods and the activities that are connected with this system. □ …the Christian religion. SYNONYMS religion NOUN 1
belief: He refuses to compete on Sundays because of his religious beliefs.
faith: England shifted officially from a Catholic to a Protestant faith in the 16th century.
creed: The centre is open to all, no matter what race or creed.
re|ligi|os|ity /r I l I dʒiɒ s I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT If you refer to a person's religiosity , you are referring to the fact that they are religious in a way which seems exaggerated and insincere. [FORMAL ] □ …their hypocritical religiosity.
re|li|gious ◆◆◇ /r I l I dʒəs/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] You use religious to describe things that are connected with religion or with one particular religion. □ …religious groups. □ …different religious beliefs. ● re|li|gious|ly ADV [usu ADV adj/adv, ADV -ed] □ India has always been one of the most religiously diverse countries.
2 ADJ Someone who is religious has a strong belief in a god or gods. □ They are both very religious and felt it was a gift from God.
3 → see also religiously
re|li|gious|ly /r I l I dʒəsli/
1 ADV [ADV with v] If you do something religiously , you do it very regularly because you feel you have to. □ Do these exercises religiously every day.
2 → see also religious
re|lin|quish /r I l I ŋkw I ʃ/ (relinquishes , relinquishing , relinquished ) VERB If you relinquish something such as power or control, you give it up. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] He does not intend to relinquish power.
reli|quary /re l I kwəri, [AM ] -kweri/ (reliquaries ) N‑COUNT A reliquary is a container where religious objects connected with a saint are kept.
rel|ish /re l I ʃ/ (relishes , relishing , relished )
1 VERB If you relish something, you get a lot of enjoyment from it. □ [V n] I relish the challenge of doing jobs that others turn down. ● N‑UNCOUNT Relish is also a noun. □ The three men ate with relish.
2 VERB If you relish the idea, thought, or prospect of something, you are looking forward to it very much. □ [V n] Jacqueline is not relishing the prospect of another spell in prison.
3 N‑VAR Relish is a sauce or pickle that you eat with other food in order to give the other food more flavour.
re|live /riː l I v/ (relives , reliving , relived ) VERB If you relive something that has happened to you in the past, you remember it and imagine that you are experiencing it again. □ [V n] There is no point in reliving the past.
re|load /riː loʊ d/ (reloads , reloading , reloaded ) VERB If someone reloads a gun, they load it again by putting in more bullets or explosive. If you reload a container, you fill it again. □ [V n] She reloaded the gun as quickly as she could. □ [V ] He reloaded and nodded to the gamekeeper.
re|lo|cate /riː loʊke I t, [AM ] -loʊ ke I t/ (relocates , relocating , relocated ) VERB If people or businesses relocate or if someone relocates them, they move to a different place. □ [V ] If the company was to relocate, most employees would move. □ [V n] There will be the problem of where to relocate the returning troops. ● re|lo|ca|tion /riː loʊke I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT □ The company says the cost of relocation will be negligible.
re|lo|ca |tion ex|penses N‑PLURAL Relocation expenses are a sum of money that a company pays to someone who moves to a new area in order to work for the company. The money is to help them pay for moving house. [BUSINESS ] □ Relocation expenses were paid to encourage senior staff to move to the region.
re|luc|tant ◆◇◇ /r I lʌ ktənt/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ to-inf] If you are reluctant to do something, you are unwilling to do it and hesitate before doing it, or do it slowly and without enthusiasm. □ Mr Spero was reluctant to ask for help. ● re|luc|tant|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ We have reluctantly agreed to let him go. ● re|luc|tance N‑UNCOUNT [oft N to-inf] □ Ministers have shown extreme reluctance to explain their position to the media. SYNONYMS reluctant ADJ 1
unwilling: Initially the government was unwilling to accept the defeat.