I. ease 1 /iːz/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ ease , ↑ unease , ↑ easiness , uneasiness; adverb : ↑ easily , ↑ uneasily , ↑ easy ; adjective : ↑ easy , ↑ uneasy ; verb : ↑ ease ]
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: aise 'comfort' ]
1 . with ease if you do something with ease, it is very easy for you to do it SYN 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 somebody 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 something
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
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ phrases
▪ with great/considerable ease (=very easily)
The car handles these mountain roads with great ease.
▪ with apparent ease (=seeming easy, although this may not be the case)
I was amazed by the apparent ease with which she got through the security system.
▪ with comparative/relative ease (=seeming easy, especially considering how difficult something is)
Most modern laptops can store large amounts of data with comparative ease.
▪ with consummate ease formal (=in a way that shows great skill and so makes something difficult look very easy)
It was a beautiful goal, scored with consummate ease.
II. ease 2 W3 BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ ease , ↑ unease , ↑ easiness , uneasiness; adverb : ↑ easily , ↑ uneasily , ↑ easy ; adjective : ↑ easy , ↑ uneasy ; verb : ↑ ease ]
1 . IMPROVE [intransitive and transitive] 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 [transitive] to make a process happen more easily SYN smooth :
The agreement will ease the way for other countries to join the EU.
3 . MOVE [intransitive, transitive 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 something
He eased himself into a chair.
ease your way past/through etc something
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 (somebody) into something phrasal verb
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 phrasal verb
1 . if something, especially something that you do not like, eases off, it improves or gets less SYN 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 somebody to stop being unpleasant to someone or asking so much from them
ease out phrasal verb
1 . if a vehicle eases out, it slowly moves forward into the traffic
2 . ease somebody ↔ 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 phrasal verb
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 SYN ease off :
The snow was easing up.