ease
Americannoun
-
freedom from labor, pain, or physical annoyance; tranquil rest; comfort.
to enjoy one's ease.
- Synonyms:
- effortlessness, contentment, repose
- Antonyms:
- effort, discomfort
-
freedom from concern, anxiety, or solicitude; a quiet state of mind.
to be at ease about one's health.
- Synonyms:
- peace, calmness, serenity, tranquility
- Antonyms:
- disturbance
-
freedom from difficulty or great effort; facility.
It can be done with ease.
-
freedom from financial need; plenty.
a life of ease on a moderate income.
-
freedom from stiffness, constraint, or formality; unaffectedness.
ease of manner;
the ease and elegance of her poetry.
- Synonyms:
- informality, naturalness
verb (used with object)
-
eases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
eased,
past participle, past
-
easing
present participle
-
to free from anxiety or care.
to ease one's mind.
- Synonyms:
- soothe, tranquilize, disburden, relieve, comfort
-
to mitigate, lighten, or lessen.
to ease pain.
-
to release from pressure, tension, or the like.
-
to move or shift with great care.
to ease a car into a narrow parking space.
-
to render less difficult; facilitate.
I'll help if it will ease your job.
-
to provide (an architectural member) with an easement.
-
Shipbuilding. to trim (a timber of a wooden hull) so as to fair its surface into the desired form of the hull.
-
Nautical.
-
to bring (the helm or rudder of a vessel) slowly amidships.
-
to bring the head of (a vessel) into the wind.
-
to slacken or lessen the hold upon (a rope).
-
to lessen the hold of (the brake of a windlass).
-
verb (used without object)
-
eases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
eased,
past participle, past
-
easing
present participle
-
to abate in severity, pressure, tension, etc. (often followed by off orup ).
-
to become less painful, burdensome, etc.
-
to move, shift, or be moved or be shifted with great care.
verb phrase
idioms
noun
-
freedom from discomfort, worry, or anxiety
-
lack of difficulty, labour, or awkwardness; facility
-
rest, leisure, or relaxation
-
freedom from poverty or financial embarrassment; affluence
a life of ease
-
lack of restraint, embarrassment, or stiffness
his ease of manner disarmed us
-
military
-
(of a standing soldier, etc) in a relaxed position with the feet apart and hands linked behind the back
-
a command to adopt such a position
-
in a relaxed attitude or frame of mind
-
verb
-
to make or become less burdensome
-
(tr) to relieve (a person) of worry or care; comfort
-
(tr) to make comfortable or give rest to
-
(tr) to make less difficult; facilitate
-
to move or cause to move into, out of, etc, with careful manipulation
to ease a car into a narrow space
-
to lessen or cause to lessen in severity, pressure, tension, or strain; slacken, loosen, or abate
-
archaic to urinate or defecate
-
nautical to relieve the pressure on the rudder of a vessel, esp by bringing the bow into the wind
Synonym Usage
Ease, comfort refer to a sense of relaxation or of well-being. Ease implies a relaxed condition with an absence of effort or pressure: a life of ease. Comfort suggests a sense of well-being, along with ease, which produces a quiet happiness and contentment: comfort in one's old age.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
easesimple
-
easessimple
-
have easedperfect
-
has easedperfect
-
am easingprogressive
-
are easingprogressive
-
is easingprogressive
-
have been easingperfect progressive
-
has been easingperfect progressive
Past
-
easedsimple
-
had easedperfect
-
was easingprogressive
-
were easingprogressive
-
had been easingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ease
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English noun ese, eise, from Anglo-French, Old French “comfort, convenience,” from Vulgar Latin adjaces (unrecorded) “vicinity,” the regular outcome of literary Latin adjacēns adjacent; verb ultimately derivative of the noun
Explanation
Ease means to lessen or release, often making something possible in the meantime. When you put someone at their ease, you lessen their discomfort. When you ease into a chair, you gently release yourself into it. A life of ease means you do not have to struggle to make money. Your dad might be mad if you pierce your nose, but eventually, with time, his anger will ease and he will ease up on you. Your older siblings' behavior will ease the way for you to do things that frighten your parents without their overreacting.
Vocabulary lists containing ease
Unit 1: Telling Details
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"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
At the end of the show, a stunning reading of “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” revealed the instinctive ease with which she can navigate the sweet, syncopated phrasing of Dominican merengue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Colombians outside the quake zone have mobilized in massive numbers to ease victims' suffering.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Meanwhile, I learned that so many of them were desperately trying to ease the pain by renting their units out that you could rent the units for $2,000 a month, or even less.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Paramount in recent months has discussed creating an editorial board for CNN and other safeguards to ease concerns over its news operation’s independence, according to people familiar with the situation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
It was warm from his own body, hopefully enough to ease her chill until the other humans arrived.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
“As capacity eases, which we anticipate, this company will be among the first and hardest hit,” she wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
If the conflict eases and oil comes down, trade lanes open up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
What they first cultivate with silly banter and lighthearted ad-libs eases into a more vulnerable, introspective atmosphere, comparable to a cathartic therapy session.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Once Andrew's medication kicks in, his breathing eases and the paramedics decide he is safe to stay at home.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
“Likely not. But if the person thinks it, then the thinking eases the pain.”
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
"We were panicking. When the shaking eased a little, we immediately pushed his bed and took him outside."
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Stafford, Bennett and quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone are among those who have eased Simpson’s transition to the NFL.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Wholesale prices were flat in July and inflation pressures in the guts of the economy eased, adding to recent evidence of a slowdown in the rising cost of living.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Meanwhile, demand for put options that allow investors to protect their portfolios from a drawdown has eased.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Slowly, we lowered the weapons, and Doc eased himself out of the cellar.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
"Washington should be a key actor in easing the tensions in the region, but they are trying to satisfy everyone and pursue their narrow interests," said Hudson.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
These costs in the earlier stage of production point to easing inflationary pressures.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Early in the pandemic, as mortgage rates plunged, lenders competed for business by easing underwriting standards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The Consumer Price Index rose 3.4% in July from a year earlier, easing slightly from the June rate, the Labor Department said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
He waits until he can hear her faint snores before creeping to the cab of the RV and easing into the driver’s seat.
From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
