soothe
Americanverb (used with object)
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soothes,
present (3rd person singular)
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soothed,
past participle, past
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soothing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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soothes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
soothed,
past participle, past
-
soothing
present participle
verb
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(tr) to make calm or tranquil
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(tr) to relieve or assuage (pain, longing, etc)
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(intr) to bring tranquillity or relief
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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soothesimple
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soothessimple
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have soothedperfect
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has soothedperfect
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am soothingprogressive
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are soothingprogressive
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is soothingprogressive
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have been soothingperfect progressive
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has been soothingperfect progressive
Past
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soothedsimple
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had soothedperfect
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was soothingprogressive
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were soothingprogressive
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had been soothingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of soothe
First recorded before 950; Middle English sothen “to bear witness, confirm, verify,” Old English sōthian “to prove true”; the Modern English sense shift “to verify” becomes “to support (a person's statement),” then “to encourage,” and finally “to calm”; see origin at sooth
Compare meaning
How does soothe compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
To soothe is to relieve or to bring comfort. If the pounding in your head is driving you mad, it sounds like you might need an aspirin or two to soothe your headache. Soothing is meant to make you feel better, both physically and emotionally. Spend too many hours on the beach without sunblock? You'll need some aloe to soothe that sunburn. Had a bad breakup with a boyfriend? Soothing that broken heart might take something stronger — chocolates, a gabfest with good friends, and sappy movies are usually just what the doctor ordered.
Vocabulary lists containing soothe
Comfy Cozy Lingo
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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.
See Examples For:
“Laughter is something we engage in to soothe us,” she explained.
From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026
"Constant checking, tracking or intervening may soothe the parent in the short term, but it can inadvertently communicate to the young adult: 'I am not sure you can cope without me.'"
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
Nvidia's report helped soothe some of those fears, with CEO Jensen Huang saying: "The AI infrastructure buildout is at full steam."
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
She also grows oregano and lemongrass, with which she brews into a tea to soothe stomach issues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
The pharmacist sold me blister packs of pills to soothe pain, bring down fever, and help you sleep.
From "The Bridge Home" by Padma Venkatraman
"The ceasefire definitely soothes our nerves, hoping it stays this way. The crew is finally taking a breather," an off-duty captain of a ship, whose crew is stranded off Qatar, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026
In other words, it soothes the burning sensation that endurance athletes experience in their muscles when they are pushing themselves to the limit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
The wrap that soothes, satisfies, and somehow feels smug and approachable at the same time.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2025
Even when that order is part of America itself, individual heroism soothes the audience with the promise that the world’s wrongs can be righted with enough derring-do.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2024
The soft bluish glow of the television soothes me.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
A flurry of positive headlines around diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz soothed oil investors, sending global oil benchmarks below $87 a barrel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
But there was a roughly 38% chance of a hike — up from closer to 13% a week ago, when cooler inflation data for June soothed worries over rate increases.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 26, 2026
Maybe having some allies in that moment soothed him.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
That soothed fears the Federal Reserve could hike interest rates soon to bring down inflation, and fuelled a healthy bounce across Asia, led by Seoul.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
Its constant music and the cooler air around it always soothed her.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
Like any good advertising, it worked best when soothing our anxieties and tapping into our fantasies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
In another 2013 study, Swedish researchers found that singing has a biologically soothing effect, especially on cardiovascular function.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
For the uninitiated, a sound bath is where a practitioner plays crystal or Tibetan sound bowls, gongs and chimes in a soothing way.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
In lieu of suspensions, administrators invite offenders to reflect in a soothing place on the feelings and trauma that led them, say, to hit another student or disobey a teacher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
“Want a visitor?” he asks, his voice low and soothing.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
