comfort
Americanverb (used with object)
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comforts,
present (3rd person singular)
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comforted,
past participle, past
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comforting
present participle
noun
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comforts
plural
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relief in affliction; consolation; solace.
Her presence was a comfort to him.
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a feeling of relief or consolation.
Her forgiveness afforded him great comfort.
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a person or thing that gives consolation.
She was a great comfort to him.
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a cause or matter of relief or satisfaction.
The patient's recovery was a comfort to the doctor.
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a state of ease and satisfaction of bodily wants, with freedom from pain and anxiety.
He is a man who enjoys his comfort.
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something that promotes such a state.
His wealth allows him to enjoy a high degree of comfort.
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Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a comforter or quilt.
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Obsolete. strengthening aid; assistance.
noun
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a state of ease or well-being
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relief from affliction, grief, etc
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a person, thing, or event that brings solace or ease
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obsolete support
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(usually plural) something that affords physical ease and relaxation
verb
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to ease the pain of; soothe; cheer
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to bring physical ease to
Synonym Usage
Comfort, console, relieve, soothe imply assuaging sorrow, worry, discomfort, or pain. To comfort is to lessen the sadness or sorrow of someone and to strengthen by inspiring with hope and restoring a cheerful outlook: to comfort a despairing person. Console, a more formal word, means to make grief or distress seem lighter, by means of kindness and thoughtful attentions: to console a bereaved parent. Relieve means to lighten, lessen, or remove pain, trouble, discomfort, or hardship: to relieve a needy person. Soothe means to pacify or calm: to soothe a child. See ease.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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comfortlessnessnoun
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comfortingadjective
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comfortlessadjective
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uncomfortedadjective
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comfortinglyadverb
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comfortlesslyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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comfortsimple
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comfortssimple
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have comfortedperfect
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has comfortedperfect
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am comfortingprogressive
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are comfortingprogressive
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is comfortingprogressive
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have been comfortingperfect progressive
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has been comfortingperfect progressive
Past
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comfortedsimple
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had comfortedperfect
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was comfortingprogressive
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were comfortingprogressive
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had been comfortingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of comfort
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb comfortien, from Anglo-French, Old French conforter, from Late Latin confortāre “to strengthen,” equivalent to con- con- ( def. ) + -fortāre, verb suffix formed from Latin fortis “strong”; noun derived from the verb
Explanation
To comfort someone is to give solace or to soothe. You might comfort your brother when his favorite team gets knocked out of the playoffs. The verb comfort comes from the Latin word comfortare, which means “strengthen greatly.” To give comfort is to shore up the mood or physical state of someone else. It might take a long time to comfort your mother after her cat disappears. As a noun, comfort is anything that provides satisfaction or a relaxed and easy feeling. You might think that the comfort of your new shoes cannot be surpassed.
Vocabulary lists containing comfort
Stay Strong: Forc and Fort
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"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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com-, con-
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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:
These are easy questions to ask from the comfort of a living room or the cushion of a theater seat, but much harder to answer when you’re living the life.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026
Archbishop of Toledo Francisco Cerro acknowledged that "there are no words that can offer comfort" to those who had lost loved ones.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
The impoverished woman appears to find comfort in the asylum, where she is known to be an “excellent hard worker,” as the Reader sees evidence of genuine, occasionally enlightened, care.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
The distinguishing features of the Qatari airplane are its size, comfort, and the luxury of its interior furnishings, points Trump has gushed over.
From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026
I wanted to capture it, as if it was a photograph I could keep in my pocket and take out to look at whenever I needed comfort.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
More worker flexibility, including creature comforts such as heated and cooled bathrooms with running water on worksites, or regularly cleaned breakrooms, are part of the pitch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
While Newhook likes the home comforts of staying in an Airbnb, she says the combination of relentless rules and rising cleaning fees has taken away much of its appeal.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Real surprises are rarer in the land of Too Much TV, although we shouldn’t knock reliable comforts.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
With higher ticket prices and more competition — not only with other touring bands but with the allures of home comforts — audiences need a bigger draw.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Small comforts are all I can rely upon today.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
In scenes very similar to the incident against RB Leipzig on Saturday, the 23-year-old was comforted by team-mates including England captain Harry Kane.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Dozens of police and emergency responders gathered outside the cordoned-off Debsirin Nonthaburi School on Friday, AFP journalists saw, while parents waited to pick up their children and tearful students and staff comforted each other outside.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
If you have watched any of these — if they comforted you on your worst days and made good ones better — Burrows had a hand in making your life funnier.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
“To have gay couples come up crying, saying thank you is incredible and it’s what you do it for. The best feeling in the world is to know that we’ve comforted someone.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
“I didn’t know,” said Jonathan, comforted by the words.
From "The Fighting Ground" by Avi
I’ve found it comforting to prepare the simple recipe to a complex piece of music.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The more I thought about it, the more I realized there was something comforting about my conversation with Randy.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
“She called us, bawling, and we were loading the dog, comforting her,” Dowd said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
"The support has been overwhelming, and it's been comforting," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
His velvety lips brushed my palm in a comforting manner.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
