relax

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To make lax or loose: relax one's grip.
2. v. To make less severe or strict: relax a curfew.
3. v. To reduce in intensity; slacken: relax one's efforts.
4. v. To relieve from tension or strain: The warm bath relaxed me.
5. v. To take one's ease; rest.
6. v. To become lax or loose.
7. v. To become less severe or strict.
8. v. To become less restrained or tense.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To slacken; make more lax or less tense or rigid; loosen; make less close or firm: as, to relax a rope or cord; to relax the muscles or sinews.
2. To make less severe or rigorous; remit or abate in strictness: as, to relax a law or rule.
3. To remit or abate in respect to attention, assiduity, effort, or labor: as, to relax study; to relax exertions or efforts.
4. To relieve from attention or effort; afford a relaxation to; unbend: as, conversation relaxes the mind of the student.
5. To abate; take away.
6. To relieve from constipation; loosen; open: as, medicines relax the bowels.
7. To set loose or free; give up or over.
8. Synonyms To loose, unbrace, weaken, enervate, debilitate.
9. To mitigate, ease.
10. To divert, recreate.
11. To become loose, feeble, or languid.
12. To abate in severity; become more mild or less rigorous.
13. To remit in close attention; unbend.
14. n. Relaxation.
15. Relaxed; loose.

Wiktionary

1. v. transitive To calm down.
2. v. transitive To make something loose.
3. v. intransitive To become loose.
4. v. transitive To make something less severe or tense.
5. v. intransitive To become less severe or tense.
6. v. transitive To make something (such as codes and regulations) more lenient.
7. v. intransitive To become more lenient.
8. v. transitive To relieve (something) from stress.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. To make lax or loose; to make less close, firm, rigid, tense, or the like; to slacken; to loosen; to open
2. v. To make less severe or rigorous; to abate the stringency of; to remit in respect to strenuousness, earnestness, or effort
3. v. Hence, to relieve from attention or effort; to ease; to recreate; to divert.
4. v. To relieve from constipation; to loosen; to open.
5. v. To become lax, weak, or loose.
6. v. To abate in severity; to become less rigorous.
7. v. To remit attention or effort; to become less diligent; to unbend.
8. n. obsolete Relaxation.
9. adj. Relaxed; lax; hence, remiss; careless.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. make less taut
2. v. become less tense, rest, or take one's ease
3. v. cause to feel relaxed
4. v. make less active or fast
5. v. make less severe or strict
6. v. become less tense, less formal, or less restrained, and assume a friendlier manner
7. v. become less severe or strict
8. v. become loose or looser or less tight