Dictionary: letter E

ease in [ease (someone) into something] (insep) get help to do something or start doing it gradually

• A beginner's guide to easing into a healthy lifestyle.
• If you are really feeling unsure about retirement, try easing into it by gradually reducing work hours.

ease off (insep) (pain, rain, snow, traffic) becomes less intense

• The pain eased off after he took the tablets.
• The rain should ease off after midday.
• The heavy rain was easing off as we left the hotel, but I borrowed an umbrella just in case.

ease out (insep) make someone leave a job or place

• He was eased out of his job after the allegations.
• They want to ease him out of power.
• It took death to ease him out of office.

ease up ease off

• I wondered if I would ever catch Mike but he started to slow and I kept seeing him closer and closer as he grew tired, and then eased up when I got near.
• I think the snow's easing up a bit.

eat away [eat something away] destroy something by eating or by chemical  action

• Pollution has eaten away the stonework.
• The metal was eaten away by the acid.
• Salt can eat away at the paint and metal on your vehicle.

eat in (insep) when you eat in, you eat at home eat out

• We won't eat in tonight.
• I don't fancy going out tonight; shall we eat in?
• We didn't eat in as we wanted to try the local restaurants.

eat out (insep) eat in a restaurant dine out eat in

• I'm too tired to cook; why don't we eat out tonight?
• She really enjoys eating out.

eat up [eat up, eat something up] finish eating

• Eat up children!
• Eat up your vegetables!

egg on [egg someone on] encourage someone to do something silly

• They egged him on to drink the whole bottle.
• They egged him on until he finally jumped.

eke out 1 [eke something out] (rations, pension, food) make something last longer

• Developing alternative energy sources is one part of the plan to eke out the Earth's resources.

2 (existence, living, income, life) try hard to make a living, usually with little money or food scratch out

• The land is arid and dry so I imagine it's difficult to eke out a living.
• They eke out an existence by recycling the various materials they find.

end up (insep) end somewhere or in a certain way after a series of events. wind up

• You'll end up in prison if you go on like that.
• He ended up homeless.

explain away [explaing something away] give an excuse to avoid blame

• She tried to explain away the situation, but the police knew she was guilty.
• I don't know how I'm going to explain that away.

eye up [eye someone up] look at someone in a way that shows you are sexually interested in them

• The chap across the room is eyeing her up, but she doesn't seem to notice.

For other verbs and to get more examples build your own lists in the Lists section.