- used to tell somebody to be careful when doing something
- Easy with that chair—one of its legs is loose.
- Easy there—you'll knock me over!
Word OriginMiddle English (also in the sense ‘comfortable, tranquil’): from Old French aisie, past participle of aisier ‘put at ease, facilitate’, from the phrase a aise ‘at ease’.
Idioms
See easy in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarybe easier said than done
- (saying) to be much more difficult to do than to talk about
- ‘Why don't you get yourself a job?’ ‘That's easier said than done.’
breathe/rest/sleep easy
- to relax and stop worrying
- You can rest easy—I'm not going to tell anyone.
- I can sleep easy knowing that she's safely home.
easy come, easy go
- (saying) used to mean that somebody does not care very much about money or possessions especially if they spend it or lose something
easy does it
- (informal) used to tell somebody to do something, or move something, slowly and carefully
go easy on somebody
- (informal) used to tell somebody to treat a person in a gentle way and not to be too angry or severe
- Go easy on her—she's having a really hard time at the moment.
go easy on/with something
- (informal) used to tell somebody not to use too much of something
- Go easy on the sugar.
not come easy (to somebody)
- to be difficult for somebody to do
- Talking about my problems doesn't come easy to me.
- Change has not come easy.
stand easy
- used as a command to soldiers who are already standing at ease to tell them that they can stand in an even more relaxed way
take it easy
- (informal) used to tell somebody not to be worried or angry
- Take it easy! Don't panic.
take it/things easy
- to relax and avoid working too hard or doing too much
- The doctor told me to take it easy for a few weeks.
- I like to take things easy when I’m on holiday.
Check pronunciation:
easy