ease

ease1 [ iz ] verb **

▸ 1 make less severe

▸ 2 move slowly & carefully

▸ 3 about rule/punishment

▸ 4 make process easier

▸ 5 about bad weather

▸ 6 become more relaxed

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) transitive to make a problem, bad situation, or pain less severe:

Sometimes a mild painkiller is enough to ease the pain.

Colleagues are trying to ease the pressure she is under at work.

a ) intransitive to become less severe:

In the following two weeks tensions eased somewhat.

2. ) intransitive or transitive to move somewhere slowly and carefully:

ease into/out of/up etc.: She eased into the seat behind the desk.

ease yourself: Joseph eased himself off the bed.

ease your way: I eased my way through the crowd.

a ) transitive to move something somewhere slowly and carefully:

ease out of/away from: Monica slowly eased the cork out of the champagne bottle.

3. ) transitive to make a rule or punishment less severe:

Sanctions against the country should be eased.

4. ) transitive to make a process easier:

These ideas helped to ease our transition to democracy.

5. ) intransitive if bad weather such as wind or rain eases, it becomes less strong

6. ) intransitive or transitive to become more relaxed or less tight, or to make something do this:

Slowly his grip on her shoulder eased.

I waited until the child's breathing eased.

ease your conscience/mind

to make you feel less guilty/worried

,ease `off phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) to go more slowly or try less hard:

Ease off a bit as you go around the bend.

2. ) ease off or ease up if something unpleasant or annoying eases off, it becomes weaker:

If the rain eases off overnight, we'll leave in the morning.

The pain should ease off after a couple of hours.

,ease `out phrasal verb transitive

to make someone leave a job or position without saying anything publicly:

Senior party sources say Liddell will be eased out during the next few weeks.

,ease `up phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) to become less severe toward someone:

ease up on: Government forces appear to be easing up on the rebels.

2. ) same as EASE OFF 2:

They waited nearly four hours for the storm to ease up.

ease

ease 2 [ iz ] noun uncount **

1. ) the ability to do something easily:

with ease: Young children seem to master computer games with ease.

We completed the climb with relative ease (=fairly easily).

a ) the fact that something is easy to do:

ease of: For maximum ease of use the materials are arranged in groups.

2. ) behavior that is relaxed and natural:

He was a compassionate doctor blessed with natural ease.

at ease

1. ) confident and relaxed:

He was more at ease in the classroom than on a political platform.

feel at ease: I did my best to make him feel at ease.

2. ) an order to soldiers to stand with their feet apart and their hands behind their backs

ill at ease

not confident or relaxed

put someone at (their) ease

to make someone who is nervous feel more relaxed

take your ease OLD-FASHIONED

to rest or relax

=> MIND1