verb
-
to relieve (pain, grief, etc) or be relieved
-
(tr) to reduce (fear, anger, etc)
Related Words
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
- allayer noun
- unallayed adjective
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; allege ) to alleviate, allay
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.
By fixing the timing, price, or amount of stock sales in advance, 10b5-1 plans are designed to allay concerns about executives’ inside information.
From Barron's
The board beckoned Iger back in November 2022 to quell a revolt by senior Disney executives and allay concerns among investors.
From Los Angeles Times
Sarandos tried to allay the senators’ antitrust worries, saying a combined Netflix and Warner Bros. would “strengthen the American entertainment industry, preserve choice and value for consumers, and create opportunities for creators.”
From Barron's
Brown told MSPs: "I do not think that in six short weeks the bill can be amended sufficiently to allay those concerns and the other flaws in the bill."
From BBC
All sides met last week to discuss how to allay U.S. concerns over Arctic security without crossing Denmark’s red lines on Greenland’s sovereignty, according Danish officials.
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.
