allay
verb/əˈleɪ/
/əˈleɪ/
(formal)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they allay | /əˈleɪ/ /əˈleɪ/ |
| he / she / it allays | /əˈleɪz/ /əˈleɪz/ |
| past simple allayed | /əˈleɪd/ /əˈleɪd/ |
| past participle allayed | /əˈleɪd/ /əˈleɪd/ |
| -ing form allaying | /əˈleɪɪŋ/ /əˈleɪɪŋ/ |
- allay something to make something, especially a feeling, less strong
- to allay fears/concern/suspicion
Extra Examples- The government is keen to allay the public's fears.
- The inquiry has done little to allay suspicion.
Oxford Collocations DictionaryAllay is used with these nouns as the object:- anxiety
- concern
- fear
- …
Word OriginOld English ālecgan ‘lay down or aside’.Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
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allay