reliever

noun

re·​liev·​er ri-ˈlē-vər How to pronounce reliever (audio)
Synonyms of relievernext
: one that relieves
especially : relief pitcher

Examples of reliever in a Sentence

pain relievers like aspirin and ibuprofen Exercise is a good stress reliever.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For context, top end relievers are making $20+ million a season to throw 60-70 innings. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026 If the Royals opt for a long-term option, the club could pursue top relievers David Bednar and Adrian Morejon. — Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026 Doctors may also tell them to elevate the affected leg or arm to improve blood flow while resting, take a pain reliever such as ibuprofen, stay active to keep blood from pooling and possibly wear compression socks or an elastic bandage. — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026 Seeing the Guardians’ best relievers repeatedly – including opener Shawn Armstrong in Game 4 on Saturday and again Monday in Game 6 — the Rays improved their swings as the series progressed. — ABC News, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reliever

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reliever was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing reliever

Rhymes for reliever

See All Rhymes for reliever

Browse Nearby Words

relieve oneself
reliever
relieving arch
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Reliever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reliever. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on reliever

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for reliever

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All