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 .
-
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.
Employees of barricaded shops in Rennes said they were "not feeling at ease" about protests planned for later in the day, despite a ban.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
While Sabalenka showed the resilience which she has demonstrated in her ascent to the top of the sport, she never looked completely at ease.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Chubb, of Girard, said Muse’s revenue potential would set some investors’ minds at ease following concerns about potential overspending on AI infrastructure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
In fact, with everything hanging on this season, he seems more at ease than ever.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Everyone seemed unusually calm and at ease and I thought I knew why.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
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.
