verb
soothe
sooth
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.
Common pairings
soothe a baby
soothe the pain
soothing voice
Word Forms
soothed past tense, soothes singular
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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.