allay
Americanverb (used with object)
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allays,
present (3rd person singular)
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allayed,
past participle, past
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allaying
present participle
verb
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to relieve (pain, grief, etc) or be relieved
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(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
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allaysimple
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allayssimple
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have allayedperfect
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has allayedperfect
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am allayingprogressive
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are allayingprogressive
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is allayingprogressive
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have been allayingperfect progressive
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has been allayingperfect progressive
Past
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allayedsimple
-
had allayedperfect
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was allayingprogressive
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were allayingprogressive
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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
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Grade 11, List 6
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Twelfth Night
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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:
Google Glass could be the next must-have gadget if the company can allay privacy fears and overcome its label as a ‘Segway for your face.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Spanish officials have sought to allay concerns about the ship's arrival, laying out in detail the containment precautions being taken.
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
Executives of KKR on Tuesday sought to allay concerns about the firm’s private-credit business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
To allay concerns about his age, Lula has released videos of him lifting weights, using a treadmill and sprinting to meetings.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
Oh, for but a crust! for but one mouthful to allay the pang of famine!
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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
A medicine which prevents or allays spasms or convulsions.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Noah Webster
Messi is set to feature in his sixth World Cup and allayed fears he may not be ready with a supreme 20-minute cameo.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 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
This has allayed worries over imminent U.S. military action, ANZ Research analysts say in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
The new chair will have to craft policy that incorporates the thinking of a number of regional Fed presidents, including Hammack, who have inflation concerns that are unlikely to be easily allayed.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 13, 2025
My mom admits that nerves were part of the equation but says her doubts and anxieties were allayed by the excitement of starting a life with my dad.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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
Unionized West Coast dockworkers and their employers have reached a tentative agreement on a six-year contract, allaying concerns of a broad shutdown.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 14, 2023
Wall Street has largely held steady through the start of the earnings season as results from the big banks came in stronger than expected, allaying concerns about a contagion from the banking crisis in March.
From Reuters ● Apr. 24, 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.
