at ease
Idioms-
Also, at one's ease . Comfortable, relaxed, unembarrassed, as in I always feel at ease in my grandmother's house . The related idiom put at ease means “make comfortable, reassure,” as in I was worried that the letter would not arrive in time, but the postmaster put me at ease . [1300s] For the antonym, see ill at ease .
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In a relaxed position in military ranks. The phrase is often used as a command for troops standing at attention to relax, as in At ease, squadron . The command stand at ease is slightly different. A British military dictionary of 1802 described it as standing with the right foot drawn back about six inches and one's weight put on it. An American version is to stand with one's feet slightly apart and the hands clasped behind one's back.
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.
James, masquerading as an employee there, called him “sir” and put him at ease.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Jackie said she felt apprehensive about having anyone other than Apted in charge, but said Kapadia made her feel immediately at ease.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Secondly, for Goldman, the company’s forecast of gross margin of 72% to 73% in fiscal year 2028 is likely to put investors’ worries over high spending costs at ease.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
"She knows who she is and she is just very at ease with herself and I thought how amazing to be that self-confident, but in a lovely way," said Jones.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
I wish I could say something that would set your mind at ease.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
