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ease Definition

ease (ēz)

noun

  1. freedom from pain, worry, or trouble; comfort
  2. freedom from stiffness, formality, or awkwardness; natural, easy manner; poise
  3. freedom from difficulty; facility; adroitness to write with ease
  4. freedom from poverty; state of being financially secure; affluence
  5. rest; leisure; relaxation

Etymology: ME ese < OFr aise < VL *adjaces < L adjacens, lying nearby, hence easy to reach: see adjacent

transitive verb eased, eas′·ing

  1. to free from pain, worry, or trouble; comfort
  2. to lessen or alleviate (pain, anxiety, etc.)
  3. to make easier; facilitate
    1. to reduce the strain, tension, or pressure of or on; loosen; slacken
    2. to reduce (the strain, tension, pressure, etc.) on (a rope, sail, etc.)
  5. to fit or move by careful shifting, slow pressure, etc. to ease a piano into place

intransitive verb

  1. to move or be moved by careful shifting, slow pressure, etc.
  2. to lessen in tension, speed, pain, etc.
  3. to reduce strain, tension, or pressure: often with up, off, etc.

ease Idioms

at ease

  1. having no anxiety, pain, or discomfort
  2. Mil.
    1. in a relaxed position but maintaining silence and staying in place
    2. the command to assume this position

ease out

to tactfully persuade (an employee, tenant, etc.) to leave

ease the rudder

or ease the helm

Naut. to reduce the angle the rudder makes with the fore-and-aft line so that the vessel will turn more gradually

take one's ease

to relax and be comfortable

ease Synonyms

ease

n.

  1. Freedom from pain or anxiety

    comfort, rest, quietness, peace, relaxed physical state, tranquil rest, relaxation, leisure, repose, easiness, satisfaction, well-being, calm, calmness, restfulness, serenity, security, tranquillity, ataraxia, bed of roses, solace, consolation.

    Antonyms pain*, discomfort*, stress. *

  2. Freedom from difficulty

    facility, adroitness, expertise, expertness, dispatch, efficiency, knack, readiness, quickness, skillfulness, dexterity, artfulness, cleverness, smoothness, effortlessness, child's play, clear sailing, snap*, breeze*, cinch*; see also cinch.

    Antonyms difficulty, trouble, clumsiness.

  3. Freedom from stiffness or awkwardness

    naturalness, poise, familiarity; see composure, informality.

  4. Freedom from poverty

    affluence, prosperity, comfort; see luxury 1, wealth 2.

at ease

relaxed, collected, untroubled, carefree; see calm 1, comfortable 1.

take one's ease

be calm, rest, be comfortable; see relax 1.

ease Synonyms

ease

v.

  1. To relieve of pain

    alleviate, allay, relieve, mitigate, lessen, assuage, tranquilize, sedate, drug, administer an opiate, administer a sedative, anesthetize, render less painful, give relief, comfort, give an anesthetic, fit a splint, relieve pressure, cure, attend to, doctor, nurse, ameliorate, restore to health, palliate, soothe, abate, reduce, lighten, poultice, meliorate.

    Antonyms hurt*, injure*, aggravate. *

  2. To lessen pressure or tension

    slacken, loosen, relax, prop up, lift, hold up, set at ease, make comfortable, comfort, raise, disburden, unburden, release, soften, give repose to, free from anxiety, relieve, relieve one's mind, lighten, let up on, give rest to, quiet, calm, pacify, soothe, cheer; see also comfort.

    Antonyms weight*, tighten*, distress. *

  3. To move carefully

    maneuver, guide, induce, extricate, disentangle, set right, fit, insert, join, facilitate, slide, inch, edge, shift, handle.

    Antonyms force, shove, blunder.

  4. To make easier

    facilitate, expedite, smooth the way; see help 1, promote 1.

ease Finance Definition

To increase the amount of credit in the banking system, which the Federal Reserve does by lowering interest rates. This is accomplished by lowering the federal funds rate, the discount rate, or both. Increasing the available credit has the effect of stimulating the economy.

ease Usage Examples

Object

  • burden: Somehow sharing the experience with others eased the burden.
  • congestion: The use of rail relieves the road network of thousands of lorry movements per day, thus easing road congestion.
  • transition: No doubt this helps the baby ease the transition to life outside the womb.
  • tension: There were a number of changes to relax the rules surrounding tax credits in an attempt to ease the tension of the overpayments debacle.
  • pain: There are various ways you can help ease the pain.
  • discomfort: A truss can help ease the discomfort of your hernia, but it won't cure it.

Adjective modifier

  • consummate: There was a bit of good-natured punter participation and he handled it all with the consummate ease of the experienced professional that he is.
  • relative: Helping your child cope with exam stress Some children take exams in their stride with relative ease, whilst others can really suffer.
  • effortless: Armed with stylish reversible bibs and a new ball, the A team sailed through the league beating off competition with effortless ease.
  • remarkable: This enables the operator to build complex sequences and looks with remarkable ease.

Modifies a noun

authentication: MyEd combined with EASE authentication allows you to move securely into a number of different systems without the need to re-enter usernames and passwords.

Followed by an intransitive particle

off: The ride in was similar to Saturday, so I knew I had enough time, I even eased off for the last minute.

Particle object:

accelerator: If you start to skid, gently ease off the accelerator and avoid braking.

Preposition: of

  • installation: Ease of installation The software proved to be easy to install.
  • navigation: Skip patterns may be built in for ease of navigation.
  • cleaning: Floors in kitchens would have been either quarry tiles or linoleum, the latter also being employed on tabletops for ease of cleaning.
  • maintenance: Designed for ease of maintenance Modular system reduces spares holding.
  • handling: Let the ham cool a little for ease of handling.
  • reference: For ease of reference, readers are advised to consult these in the first instance.

Browse dictionary entries near ease

  1. ‹ earwig
  2. ‹ earwax
  3. ‹ earthy
  4. ‹ earthworm
  5. ‹ earthwork
  6. ‹ earthwards
  7. ‹ earthward
  8. ‹ earthstar
  9. ‹ earthshine
  10. ‹ earthshaking
  1. easeful ›
  2. easel ›
  3. easement ›
  4. easily ›
  5. easiness ›
  6. east ›
  7. East Anglia ›
  8. East Asia ›
  9. East Berlin ›
  10. east by north ›