ease

[ eez ]

/ iz /

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ease ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

freedom from labor, pain, or physical annoyance; tranquil rest; comfort: to enjoy one's ease.

freedom from concern, anxiety, or solicitude; a quiet state of mind: to be at ease about one's health.

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.

verb (used with object), eased, eas·ing.

to free from anxiety or care: to ease one's mind.

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), eased, eas·ing.

to abate in severity, pressure, tension, etc. (often followed by off or up).

to become less painful, burdensome, etc.

to move, shift, or be moved or be shifted with great care.

Verb Phrases

ease out, to remove from a position of authority, a job, or the like, especially by methods intended to be tactful: He was eased out as division head to make way for the boss's nephew.

Nearby words

earwig, earwigging, earwitness, earworm, eas, ease, ease off, ease out, easeful, easefully, easel

Idioms

at ease, Military. a position of rest in which soldiers may relax but may not leave their places or talk.

Origin of ease

1175–1225; (noun) Middle English ese, eise < Anglo-French ese, Old French aise, eise comfort, convenience < Vulgar Latin *adjace(m), accusative of *adjacēs vicinity (compare Medieval Latin in aiace in (the) vicinity), the regular outcome of Latin adjacēns adjacent, taken in VL as a noun of the type nūbēs, accusative nūbem cloud; (v.) Middle English esen < Anglo-French e(i)ser, Old French aisier, derivative of the noun

SYNONYMS FOR ease

1 repose, contentment, effortlessness.

2 tranquillity, serenity, calmness, peace.

5 naturalness, informality.

6 comfort, relieve, disburden; tranquilize, soothe.

7 alleviate, assuage, allay, abate, reduce.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ease ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR ease

1 discomfort, effort.

2 disturbance.

5 stiffness, formality, tenseness.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR ease ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsself-ease, nounself-eas·ing, adjectivewell-eased, adjective

Synonym study

1. 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for eased

The United States is now the only really powerful nation to have eased into stable democratic government from the ground up.
Is Democracy Doomed Abroad?|James Poulos|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Slayman eased the young man—Matt, from Pennsylvania—out of the car and got him on his stumbling way.
A Report From the Misunderstood Gathering of the Juggalos|Steve Miller|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Over time he can be eased out—as long as his Alawite people are protected in some kind of federal Syria.
A Winning Strategy for Iraq and Syria|Leslie H. Gelb|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I lifted her as high as I could midway up the slide and eased her down with a big, squeaky “wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee.”
When An Adopted Child Won’t Attach|Tina Traster|May 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Crippling economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and Europe were eased, allowing much needed capital to flow in.
Myanmar’s Free Burma Rangers Are Like Doctors Without Borders…With Guns|James Griffiths|April 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Eased by the loss of her heavy mast, and steered by two of her best seamen, she again flew before the gale.
The Phantom Ship|Frederick Marryat
Sometimes he stroked the heavy braid, gently ran his hands across the tired shoulders, or eased her into a different position.
The Harvester|Gene Stratton Porter
Just then, her worst doubts were eased, for the moan came again and the leg in her arms stirred of its own accord.
Joan of the Journal|Helen Diehl Olds
For perhaps an hour they rested and eased their stiffened muscles.
The Golden Amazons of Venus|John Murray Reynolds
It was a "gratifyin' sort o' thing, and eased his mind" to be aware of its existence, and that was all.
The English Novel|George Saintsbury

British Dictionary definitions for eased

ease

/ (iːz) /

noun

freedom from discomfort, worry, or anxiety

lack of difficulty, labour, or awkwardness; facility

rest, leisure, or relaxation

freedom from poverty or financial embarrassment; affluencea life of ease

lack of restraint, embarrassment, or stiffnesshis ease of manner disarmed us

at ease 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 manipulationto ease a car into a narrow space

(when intr, often foll by off or up) to lessen or cause to lessen in severity, pressure, tension, or strain; slacken, loosen, or abate

ease oneself or ease nature archaic, euphemistic to urinate or defecate

ease the helm nautical to relieve the pressure on the rudder of a vessel, esp by bringing the bow into the wind

Derived Formseaser, noun

Word Origin for ease

C13: from Old French aise ease, opportunity, from Latin adjacēns neighbouring (area); see adjacent

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with eased

ease

In addition to the idioms beginning with ease

ease off
ease out

also see:

at ease
ill at ease

Also see undereasilyeasy.

ease

noun

verb (used with object), eased, eas·ing.

verb (used without object), eased, eas·ing.

Verb Phrases

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of ease

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for eased

British Dictionary definitions for eased

ease

noun

verb

Word Origin for ease

Idioms and Phrases with eased

ease