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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"The People Could Fly," Vocabulary from the folk tale
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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
A pleasant chat with someone we don’t know can soothe or support us when no one else is around and boost our mood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 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
Alys watched her, and knew that the herbs in the mug would soothe the panic that had afflicted her, that soon she would calm and likely sleep for a bit.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
"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
It rounds out the gift, soothes the persistent is this enough? anxiety, and keeps the whole endeavor feeling generous without becoming complicated.
From Salon ● Dec. 23, 2025
Her daughter would laugh and say, “Because it soothes her.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2025
“No, Reynard, in this case simplicity is essential. My Whisperer is designed to soothe troubled minds, and nothing soothes the mind more effectively than a simple answer to a complicated problem.”
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
U.S. stock futures were in the green and 10-year Treasury yields fell back below 5% in early European trade, as lower oil prices soothed sentiment after the Federal Reserve’s rate hike Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 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
Using every tool at his disposal — namely his violins, guitars, looping machine and expressive voice — Bird created a whirling one-man-band effect that somehow awed and soothed the crowd in equal measure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Sir Charles sat in the front, half-turned around, and Will and Lyra sat in the back, with Pantalaimon a mouse now, soothed in Lyra’s hands.
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
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
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
I remember the way Halmoni would sing me to sleep, beating the soothing rhythm of a song on the wing of my shoulder blade.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
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.
