Abstract: As the underground coal mining activities become deeper and more intensive, the ground pressure on roadway has become a significant issue hindering the safe and efficient development of coalmines. A pressure-relief approach based on seam-cutting compensation is proposed to cope with the failure of high-stress roadway. This study elucidates the pressure-relief mechanism and the key technical parameters with their applications by combining theoretical analysis, numerical simulations, and field tests. Results indicate that the proposed method does not emphasize releasing the concentrated stress by breaking coal and rock mass. Instead, it strategically uses the roof-cutting effect and broken-expansion effect of rock mass to ease dynamic and static mining loads, thereby proactively reducing the roadway pressure. Specifically, this method uses the roof cutting and the broken-expansion characteristic of rock mass to achieve the mining compensation. The upper roof is promptly supported by the bulking gangue, and the impact of dynamic loading is lessened. Meanwhile, combined with the seam-cutting effect of impeding the transition of the dynamic stress, this approach comprehensively weakens mining dynamic loads. Additionally, the seam-cutting in the roof helps maintain the integrity of coal pillar, and the pillar achieves an overall bearing. The roof cutting also minimizes the stress transmission from the mined-out area. Mining static load is therefore reduced. The seam-cutting angle and length are two key technical parameters of this approach. The seam angle is designed according to the theoretical requirements to maintain the roof stability of the cutting-seam roadway, and the length should ensure that the collapsed bulking rock mass fills the mining voids. The field application in a typical high-stress roadway demonstrates that this approach effectively lowers the dynamic and static mining loads on the targeted roadway, thereby markedly improving the roadway stability. The proposed pressure-relief approach and its implementation offer a practical and novel solution to controlling high-stress roadway, paving the way for a safer and more efficient mining in modern coal mines.