| verb | become less tense, rest, or take one's ease “He relaxed in the hot tub” |
| verb | make less taut “relax the tension on the rope” |
| verb | become loose or looser or less tight “The noose loosened” |
| verb | cause to feel relaxed “A hot bath always relaxes me” |
| verb | become less tense, less formal, or less restrained, and assume a friendlier manner “our new colleague relaxed when he saw that we were a friendly group” |
| verb | make less severe or strict “The government relaxed the curfew after most of the rebels were caught” |
| verb | become less severe or strict “The rules relaxed after the new director arrived” |
| verb | make less active or fast “He slackened his pace as he got tired” |
| relaxant | adjective | tending to relax or relieve muscular or nervous tension |
| relaxation | noun | (physiology) the gradual lengthening of inactive muscle or muscle fibers |
| relaxer | noun | any agent that produces relaxation |
| loosening | noun | an occurrence of control or strength weakening |
| relaxant | noun | a drug that relaxes and relieves tension |
| slack | noun | a noticeable deterioration in performance or quality |