ease

ease¹ [i:z] n [U]

[Date: 1100-1200; : Old French; Origin: aise 'comfort']

1.) with ease

if you do something with ease, it is very easy for you to do it

= ↑easily

▪ They won with ease.

▪ The security codes could be broken with relative ease .

▪ I was impressed by the ease with which the information could be retrieved.

2.) at ease

feeling relaxed, especially in a situation in which people might feel a little nervous

at ease with

▪ She felt completely at ease with Bernard.

put/set sb at (their) ease

(=make someone feel relaxed)

▪ She had an ability to put people at their ease.

3.) ill at ease

not relaxed

▪ You always look ill at ease in a suit.

4.) ease of application/use etc

written how easy something is to use etc, or the quality of being easy to use etc

▪ It emphasizes the software's convenience and ease of use.

for ease of sth

▪ The bowl is removable for ease of cleaning.

5.) the ability to feel relaxed or behave in a natural relaxed way

▪ He had a natural ease which made him very popular.

6.) a life of ease

a comfortable life, without problems or worries

7.) (stand) at ease

used to tell soldiers to stand in a relaxed way with their feet apart

ease ²

ease² v

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

1¦(improve)¦

2¦(make easier)¦

3¦(move)¦

4 ease your grip

5 ease somebody's mind

Phrasal verbs

　ease (somebody) into something

　ease off

　ease out

　ease up

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

1.) ¦(IMPROVE)¦ [I and T]

if something unpleasant eases, or if you ease it, it gradually improves or becomes less

ease the pain/stress/tension

▪ He'll give you something to ease the pain.

ease the pressure/burden

▪ This should ease the burden on busy teachers.

▪ measures to ease congestion in the city

▪ Her breathing had eased.

2.) ¦(MAKE EASIER)¦ [T]

to make something, especially a process, happen more easily

= ↑smooth

▪ The agreement will ease the way for other countries to join the EU.

3.) ¦(MOVE)¦ [I,T always + adverb/preposition]

to move yourself or something slowly and carefully into another place or position

▪ She eased her shoes off.

ease yourself into/through etc sth

▪ Phil eased himself into an armchair.

ease your way past/through etc sth

▪ He eased his way through the crowd.

▪ Jean eased back on the pillows and relaxed.

4.) ease your grip

to hold something less tightly

5.) ease sb's mind

to make someone feel less worried about something

▪ It would ease my mind to know you had arrived safely.

ease () into [ease (sb) into sth] phr v

if you ease yourself or someone else into a new job etc, you start doing it gradually or help them to start

▪ After the baby, she eased herself back into work.

ease off phr v

1.) if something, especially something that you do not like, eases off, it improves or gets less

= ↑ease up

▪ The rain had eased off a bit.

▪ Why don't you wait until the traffic eases off a little?

2.) ease off on sb

to stop being unpleasant to someone or asking so much from them

ease out phr v

1.) if a vehicle eases out, it slowly moves forward into the traffic

2.) ease sb<=>out

to make someone leave a job, a position of authority etc, in a way that makes it seem as if they have chosen to leave

ease up phr v

1.) to work less hard or do something with less energy than before

▪ Just relax and ease up a little.

2.) to start doing something less

ease up on

▪ You should ease up on the whisky.

3.) to improve or get less

= ↑ease off

▪ The snow was easing up.