ease
Americannoun
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freedom from labor, pain, or physical annoyance; tranquil rest; comfort.
to enjoy one's ease.
- Synonyms:
- effortlessness, contentment, repose
- Antonyms:
- effort, discomfort
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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
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freedom from difficulty or great effort; facility.
It can be done with ease.
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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.
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Shipbuilding. to trim (a timber of a wooden hull) so as to fair its surface into the desired form of the hull.
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Nautical.
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to bring (the helm or rudder of a vessel) slowly amidships.
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to bring the head of (a vessel) into the wind.
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to slacken or lessen the hold upon (a rope).
-
to lessen the hold of (the brake of a windlass).
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verb (used without object)
-
to abate in severity, pressure, tension, etc. (often followed by off orup ).
-
to become less painful, burdensome, etc.
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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
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to make or become less burdensome
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(tr) to relieve (a person) of worry or care; comfort
-
(tr) to make comfortable or give rest to
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(tr) to make less difficult; facilitate
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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
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
Explanation
Ease means to lessen or release, often making something possible in the meantime. When you put someone at their ease, you lessen their discomfort. When you ease into a chair, you gently release yourself into it. A life of ease means you do not have to struggle to make money. Your dad might be mad if you pierce your nose, but eventually, with time, his anger will ease and he will ease up on you. Your older siblings' behavior will ease the way for you to do things that frighten your parents without their overreacting.
Vocabulary lists containing ease
Unit 1: Telling Details
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'Tis A Gift To Be Simple: Words For National Simplicity Day
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"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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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.
Eels bred in captivity will be sold in Japanese shops for the first time, in a move that could ease eventually pressure on the endangered fish, officials said Wednesday.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
The mother of one brings her son food overnight to ease his hunger pangs.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
And what feels good and in alignment with being at ease?
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
They see particular risks for consumers and the economy if oil prices do not ease by the July 4th holiday.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
This feels like a sitting conversation, so I ease myself down to the ground and lean against the side of the bed.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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.
