ease

noun

1. (uncountable, usually)Lack of difficulty; the ability to do something easily.

   “He played the ukelele with ease.”

   “The ease of lifting the weight, despite lack of skill, came from her pure strength.”

   “Her young boy lifted a weight with ease too, as that one wasn't too heavy”

   “The ease with which she passed all the exams surprised her.”

2. (uncountable, usually)Comfort, a state or quality lacking unpleasantness

   “She enjoyed the ease of living in a house where the servants did all the work.”

3. (uncountable, usually)Comfort, a state or quality lacking unpleasantness

   “The pension set her mind at ease.”

   “There is ease in the soul of Slid and there be calms upon the sea; also, there be storms upon the sea and troubles in the soul of Slid, for the gods have many moods.”

4. (uncountable, usually)Comfort, a state or quality lacking unpleasantness

   “We took our ease on the patio.”

5. (uncountable, usually)Comfort, a state or quality lacking unpleasantness

   “His inheritance catapulted him into a life of ease.”

6. (uncountable, usually)Comfort, a state or quality lacking unpleasantness

   “She dealt with the faculty with combined authority and ease.”

7. (uncountable, usually)Relief, an end to discomfort

   “Take one pill every 12 hours to provide ease from pain.”

8. (euphemistic, obsolete, uncountable, usually)Relief, an end to discomfort
9. (uncountable, usually)Relief, an end to discomfort

   “At ease, soldier!”

10. (uncountable, usually)Relief, an end to discomfort

    “Add some ease to the waist measurement.”

11. (obsolete, uncountable, usually)A convenience; a luxury.
12. (obsolete, uncountable, usually)A relief; an easement.

verb

1. (transitive)To free (something) from pain, worry, agitation, etc.

   “He eased his conscience by confessing.”

   “And ſure, although it was invented to eaſe his mynde of griefe, there be a number of caveats therein to forewarne other young gentlemen to foreſtand with good government their folowing yl fortunes; […]”

   “Elyse Saugstad, a professional skier, wore a backpack equipped with an air bag, a relatively new and expensive part of the arsenal that backcountry users increasingly carry to ease their minds and increase survival odds in case of an avalanche.”

2. (transitive)To alleviate, assuage or lessen (pain).

   “Sunny / Yesterday my life was filled with rain / Sunny / You smiled at me and really eased the pain”

3. (transitive)To give respite to (someone).

   “The provision of extra staff eased their workload.”

   “An extra rush-hour train has eased overcrowding of the former 5.39 p.m. to Salisbury; this now leaves at 5.43 and an additional electric service to Alton departs at 5.39 p.m.”

4. (transitive)To loosen or slacken the tension on a line.

   “We eased the boom vang, then lowered the sail.”

5. (transitive)To reduce the difficulty of (something).

   “We had to ease the entry requirements.”

   “I want to thank you all for easing my coming out.”

6. (transitive)To move (something) slowly and carefully.

   “He eased the cork from the bottle.”

   “Ease down off boulders; a jump may jar or sprain.”

   “Giant oil-tankers can often be seen easing up and down Milford Haven, where a vast new port has been developed since the late 1950s.”

7. (intransitive)To lessen in intensity.

   “The pain eased overnight.”

8. (intransitive)To proceed with little effort.

   “The car eased onto the motorway.”

9. To reduce speed.

   “But from Northallerton No. 46143 reached 65½ m.p.h. by Otterington, 73 by Thirsk, 79½ by Pilmoor, and 82½ by Alne and was still accelerating when it was decided on the footplate that the train was getting too much ahead of time—and no wonder, with 40 min. allowed for the level 30.0 miles from Northallerton to York!—so that the engine was drastically eased.”

   “"There's no other traffic on this line. We are 20 minutes ahead of time, so I'm easing back," says Waddicor as he approaches the crossing of HS2.”

10. (archaic, slang, transitive)To take something from (a person), especially by robbery.

    “Coming up to the thief they eased him of his late acquisitions, which Redmond, restoring to the right owner, bound him over to prosecute the robber at the next assizes.”

    “So I tucked my violin under my arm, and sallied out after the old budgy ragman, determined to ease him of his load at the very first lonesome corner I could track him to.”