ease

ease

I

ease¹ /iːz/ noun [uncountable]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

ease² W3 verb1.  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.