allay
Americanverb (used with object)
-
allays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
allayed,
past participle, past
-
allaying
present participle
verb
-
to relieve (pain, grief, etc) or be relieved
-
(tr) to reduce (fear, anger, etc)
Synonym Usage
Allay, moderate, soothe mean to reduce excitement or emotion. To allay is to lay to rest or lull to a sense of security, possibly by making the emotion seem unjustified: to allay suspicion, anxiety, fears. To moderate is to tone down any excess and thus to restore calm: to moderate the expression of one's grief. To soothe is to exert a pacifying or tranquilizing influence: to soothe a terrified child.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
allaysimple
-
allayssimple
-
have allayedperfect
-
has allayedperfect
-
am allayingprogressive
-
are allayingprogressive
-
is allayingprogressive
-
have been allayingperfect progressive
-
has been allayingperfect progressive
Past
-
allayedsimple
-
had allayedperfect
-
was allayingprogressive
-
were allayingprogressive
-
had been allayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of allay
before 1000; Middle English aleyen, Old English ālecgan to put down, allay ( ā- a- 3 + lecgan to lay 1 ); spelling -ll- shows influence of the now obsolete allege (< Anglo-French, Old French aleg ( i ) er; see allege) to alleviate, allay
Explanation
The verb allay is used when you want to make something better or eliminate fears and concerns. When you allay something, you are calming it or reducing difficulties. It is used commonly in the context of to allay concerns and to comfort and some of its many synonyms are alleviate, decrease, mitigate, assuage and mollify. Allay comes from the Old English word alecgan, which means "to put down," as in literally "to lighten." So, if you can allay someone's fears, you are lightening their mood!
Vocabulary lists containing allay
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Grade 11, List 6
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Twelfth Night
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
The slight fall in oil prices has helped allay some energy-driven inflation concerns but not enough to quell expectations the Fed will hike rates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Yet government statements didn’t do much to allay concerns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
It’s only people like Ruth, who thanklessly work to allay that suffering even in the smallest ways, that keep the darkness from devouring us whole.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
But Walsh has sought to allay concerns, saying that airlines could withstand the fuel price shock.
From Barron's ● Jun. 6, 2026
He must affect ignorance to allay the King’s suspicions.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
The director of Belfast Christmas Market is hoping the suspension of roadworks in the run-up to Christmas allays concerns after recent traffic congestion in the city.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2024
In states that are now moving to change their procedures, lawmakers argue that creating formal rules allays security concerns and prevents bad actors from disrupting governance.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 17, 2022
Now, an ambitious new study allays those fears.
From Science Magazine ● Feb. 2, 2022
“Nothing in her opening statement allays that concern.”
From Washington Post ● Oct. 11, 2020
Men, women and little children lay side by side in the large sleeping rooms and “shared each other's woes,” for “the consciousness of kind allays fear and engenders comradeship.”
From Catastrophe and Social Change Based Upon a Sociological Study of the Halifax Disaster by Samuel Henry Prince
Any initial concerns during early negotiations about the much-criticised BlueCo project have now been allayed.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
Surging memory costs was one area of concern ahead of Cisco’s earnings but the company allayed those fears.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
Early fears that the fast-food colossus would be overly brand conscious and dictate content were allayed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
Analyst Andrew McLeod tells clients in a note that the Australian company’s December-half result allayed some market fears over earnings growth and free cash flow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
When all was published and done, my competitive anxieties, at least, had been allayed.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
It is also possible that a couple of rate hikes now, paired with reassuring language from the Fed, could lower long-term yields by allaying fears that the central bank is behind the curve on inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
January’s jobs growth was the largest since December of 2024, allaying fears about a weakening labor market.
From Barron's ● Feb. 28, 2026
If Tongue was wild, Atkinson was accurate, allaying any fears about his own lack of cricket.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2025
Economic data has largely indicated that the U.S. economy remains resilient, raising hopes for a soft landing and allaying concerns of a possible recession.
From Reuters ● Sep. 19, 2023
Eisenhower understood that allaying the public’s concerns required concrete action.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
