Stopped without starting, relaxed (5)
I believe the answer is:
eased
'relaxed' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
I don't understand the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for eased that I've seen before include "Made less severe" , "Helped" , "Relaxed" , "Abated" , "Made less stressful or difficult" .)