Basic+ Word of the Day: ease

ease (noun, verb) past tense: eased

"I dream of a life of ease."

Ease is freedom from difficulty or worry.

• The manager said, "Let me put your minds at ease. Our store is not closing, so your jobs are safe."
• The runner won the race with ease.

Ease also means ‘to cause to become less difficult, severe or painful.’

• The pilot's calm voice eased the passengers' fears.
• The aspirin eased the pain in Tom's back.
• The peace talks eased tensions between the two countries.

Common uses

When soldiers are standing at attention (erect with their arms at their sides) an officer may give this command: “At ease.” That means that they can move to a more relaxed stance.

In pop culture

Listen to Sam Cooke and Eric Clapton singing “Somebody ease my troublin’ mind:’

There are other meanings of ease.