Phrasal verb
ease off
Definition
phrasal verb. to become less strong, intense, or serious; you use this when something like rain, pain, or pressure starts to go away.
phrasal verb. to diminish in intensity, pressure, or severity; can be used intransitively or transitively to describe a reduction in effort or force.
Examples
“The rain is starting to ease off now.”
“After the busy holiday season, the workload usually begins to ease off in January.”
“The central bank may ease off on interest rate hikes if inflation figures continue to show a downward trend over the next quarter.”
Examples
simple
“The rain is starting to ease off now.”
contextual
“After the busy holiday season, the workload usually begins to ease off in January.”
complex
“The central bank may ease off on interest rate hikes if inflation figures continue to show a downward trend over the next quarter.”
Usage
often used with weather, physical pain, or work pressure as the subject.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'let up' (often for weather) and 'subside' (more formal); highlight that it can also mean to treat someone less strictly when followed by 'on'.
Pitfall
The storm eased out after an hour.
The storm eased off after an hour.
the particle 'off' is required to indicate a reduction in intensity; 'ease out' means to remove someone from a position slowly.
Phrasal verb
Particles
off
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
ease + off
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/ease-off