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at ease

 
Idioms: at ease
 


1.  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.
2.  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.


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WordNet: at ease
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The adjective has 3 meanings:

Meaning #1: without strain or anxiety
  Synonym: relaxed

Meaning #2: free from worry or anxiety
  Synonym: easy

Meaning #3: socially at ease


The adverb at ease has one meaning:

Meaning #1: in a relaxed position, of soldiers
  Synonym: at rest


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more