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:
When he was in a Montessori school, the teachers discovered that reading would soothe Jeselnik.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
That feel especially valid at a time when we have plenty of shoppable salves to soothe midlife crisis ego death in whatever forms that it takes.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
The Financial Times looks at the Burnham government's "bid to soothe 'public control' anxiety" through "stressing the new administration's desire to attract private capital into key sectors of the economy".
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
"Anthropomorphic AI can soothe loneliness," said Chen Liang of the Southwest University of Political Science and Law in a commentary published by the CAC after a draft version of China's rules was published in April.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Kennedy kept the water heated to ninety degrees to soothe his ailing back.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
"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
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
Additionally, Cross notes, "The combination of buoyancy and heat not only soothes muscles but also enhances blood circulation, facilitating the delivery of oxygen to the brain."
From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2023
Venia and Octavia, a plump woman whose entire body has been dyed a pale shade of pea green, rub me down with a lotion that first stings but then soothes my raw skin.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
I have always slept better in apartment buildings than in silent houses, soothed by footsteps overhead and doors closing somewhere down the hall.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
That stance soothed the market’s angst, but industry observers are still watching to see how DSI carries out its mandate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 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
Investors, soothed by a lowering of tensions between the U.S. and China, have put trade worries on the back burner.
From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026
The noise, the rank stinks, the shouldering contact of human flesh soothed his jangled nerves.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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
At midnight, musician Melanie Cebula played her tune “Purr-fect Lullaby,” tapping on her steel hand pan as soothing notes filled the dark room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
When life gets you down, Danny Palumbo opines, nothing is more soothing than eating a meal prepared with love.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Back in junior high, she learned that the long-distance run, tiring herself out, soothing herself with the rhythm of pace, helped the anxiety.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
