at ease

1. In a relaxed position in military ranks. The phrase is often used as a command for troops standing at attention to relax, as in At ease, squadron . The command stand at ease is slightly different. A British military dictionary of 1802 described it as standing with the right foot drawn back about six inches and one's weight put on it. An American version is to stand with one's feet slightly apart and the hands clasped behind one's back.

2. Also, at one's ease . Comfortable, relaxed, unembarrassed, as in I always feel at ease in my grandmother's house . The related idiom put at ease means “make comfortable, reassure,” as in I was worried that the letter would not arrive in time, but the postmaster put me at ease . [1300s] For the antonym, see ill at ease .

Example Sentences

Certainly, this representational role is a dimension of the presidency with which he has seemed at ease.

From BBC

MacPhail secretly followed her after she left school, having lied about being in Newcastle to put her at ease.

From BBC

“That ability to speak with the client, to put them at ease, to clearly explain the process and reassure them that they've got someone on their side fighting their corner.”

From BBC

Mel’s ebullient personality lifts people’s spirits as she drives between gates and terminals, and her vast trove of knowledge about the world places them at ease in the moments before they board their planes.

From Salon

“I feel more at ease in the theater than I do in life,” she told The Times in 2003.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• amicable
• balmy
• calm
• easygoing
• gentle
• mild
• pastoral
• placid
• restful
• sedate
• serene
• sober
• stable
• tame
• temperate