verb
B1
Intermediate
soothe
sooth
Soothe (verb) means to calm someone down or make a painful or unpleasant feeling less intense. Example: “She rocked the baby gently to soothe him.”
verb
1
To calm someone down or make a painful or unpleasant feeling less intense.
"She rocked the baby gently to soothe him."
"The warm bath soothed her aching muscles."
2
To make a difficult situation less tense or troublesome.
"The manager tried to soothe tempers after the argument."
How to use soothe
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo calm someone, or ease pain or tension.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
soothe a baby
soothe the pain
soothing voice
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like soothe.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Third person singular
- soothes
- Past tense
- soothed
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
She rocked the baby gently to _____ him.
Etymology
From Old English sothian, "to prove true, confirm" — related to "sooth" (truth). The sense shifted over centuries from "confirm what someone says" to "comfort them," as agreeing with someone naturally calms them down.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for soothe
See all rhymes for soothe →Frequently asked questions
What does “soothe” mean?
The word “soothe” means to calm someone down or make a painful or unpleasant feeling less intense. In plain terms, to calm someone, or ease pain or tension.
How do you pronounce “soothe”?
“Soothe” is pronounced sooth (/suːð/ in IPA).
How do you use “soothe” in a sentence?
Here is “soothe” used in a sentence: “She rocked the baby gently to soothe him.”
What part of speech is “soothe”?
“Soothe” is a verb.
Where does the word “soothe” come from?
The word “soothe” comes from Old English. From Old English sothian, "to prove true, confirm" — related to "sooth" (truth). The sense shifted over centuries from "confirm what someone says" to "comfort them," as agreeing with someone naturally calms them down.
How many meanings does “soothe” have?
“Soothe” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to calm someone down or make a painful or unpleasant feeling less intense.
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include soothe:
