ease
Americannoun
-
freedom from labor, pain, or physical annoyance; tranquil rest; comfort.
to enjoy one's ease.
- Synonyms:
- effortlessness, contentment, repose
- Antonyms:
- effort, discomfort
-
freedom from concern, anxiety, or solicitude; a quiet state of mind.
to be at ease about one's health.
- Synonyms:
- peace, calmness, serenity, tranquility
- Antonyms:
- disturbance
-
freedom from difficulty or great effort; facility.
It can be done with ease.
-
freedom from financial need; plenty.
a life of ease on a moderate income.
-
freedom from stiffness, constraint, or formality; unaffectedness.
ease of manner;
the ease and elegance of her poetry.
- Synonyms:
- informality, naturalness
verb (used with object)
-
to free from anxiety or care.
to ease one's mind.
- Synonyms:
- soothe, tranquilize, disburden, relieve, comfort
-
to mitigate, lighten, or lessen.
to ease pain.
-
to release from pressure, tension, or the like.
-
to move or shift with great care.
to ease a car into a narrow parking space.
-
to render less difficult; facilitate.
I'll help if it will ease your job.
-
to provide (an architectural member) with an easement.
-
Shipbuilding. to trim (a timber of a wooden hull) so as to fair its surface into the desired form of the hull.
-
Nautical.
-
to bring (the helm or rudder of a vessel) slowly amidships.
-
to bring the head of (a vessel) into the wind.
-
to slacken or lessen the hold upon (a rope).
-
to lessen the hold of (the brake of a windlass).
-
verb (used without object)
-
to abate in severity, pressure, tension, etc. (often followed by off orup ).
-
to become less painful, burdensome, etc.
-
to move, shift, or be moved or be shifted with great care.
verb phrase
idioms
noun
-
freedom from discomfort, worry, or anxiety
-
lack of difficulty, labour, or awkwardness; facility
-
rest, leisure, or relaxation
-
freedom from poverty or financial embarrassment; affluence
a life of ease
-
lack of restraint, embarrassment, or stiffness
his ease of manner disarmed us
-
military
-
(of a standing soldier, etc) in a relaxed position with the feet apart and hands linked behind the back
-
a command to adopt such a position
-
in a relaxed attitude or frame of mind
-
verb
-
to make or become less burdensome
-
(tr) to relieve (a person) of worry or care; comfort
-
(tr) to make comfortable or give rest to
-
(tr) to make less difficult; facilitate
-
to move or cause to move into, out of, etc, with careful manipulation
to ease a car into a narrow space
-
to lessen or cause to lessen in severity, pressure, tension, or strain; slacken, loosen, or abate
-
archaic to urinate or defecate
-
nautical to relieve the pressure on the rudder of a vessel, esp by bringing the bow into the wind
Related Words
Ease, comfort refer to a sense of relaxation or of well-being. Ease implies a relaxed condition with an absence of effort or pressure: a life of ease. Comfort suggests a sense of well-being, along with ease, which produces a quiet happiness and contentment: comfort in one's old age.
Other Word Forms
- easer noun
- self-ease noun
- self-easing adjective
- well-eased adjective
Etymology
Origin of ease
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English noun ese, eise, from Anglo-French, Old French “comfort, convenience,” from Vulgar Latin adjaces (unrecorded) “vicinity,” the regular outcome of literary Latin adjacēns adjacent; verb ultimately derivative of the noun
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.
Investors rode into 2026 hopeful that a cocktail of lower interest rates, tax breaks, easing inflation and tariff clarity would loosen up consumer spending.
From MarketWatch
Large banks, in particular, enjoyed a bull run last year, supported by ramping deal activity and a favorable regulatory environment that has eased fees and streamlined examinations.
"We can expect to see some more criteria easing and hopefully even cheaper fixed rates," he said.
From BBC
That signals it sees limited room to ease.
From Barron's
The Federal Reserve previously used its balance sheet to stabilize markets in crisis by purchasing Treasurys and agency mortgage bonds — a process known as quantitative easing, or QE.
From MarketWatch
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.
