appease

UK: /əˈpiːz/ US: /əˈpiz/ ,(ə pēz′)

Inflections of 'appease' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

appeases

v 3rd person singular

appeasing

v pres p

appeased

v past

appeased

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

ap•pease /əˈpiz/   v. [~ + object] , -peased, -peas•ing. 

1. to bring to a state of calm;
   pacify:
   to appease an angry parent with apologies.
2. to satisfy;
   relieve:
   The fruit appeased his hunger.
3. Government to give in to someone's demands so as to lessen anger or prevent fighting;
   placate.

ap•peas•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

ap•pease  (ə pēz′), v.t., -peased, -peas•ing. 

1. to bring to a state of peace, quiet, ease, calm, or contentment;
   pacify;
   soothe:
   to appease an angry king.
2. to satisfy, allay, or relieve;
   assuage:
   The fruit appeased his hunger.
3. Government to yield or concede to the belligerent demands of (a nation, group, person, etc.) in a conciliatory effort, sometimes at the expense of justice or other principles.

• Anglo-French apeser, Old French apais(i)er, equivalent. to a- a-⁵ + paisi- peace + -er infinitive suffix
• Middle English apesen 1300–50

ap•peas′a•ble, adj. 
ap•peas′a•ble•ness, n. 
ap•peas′a•bly, adv. 
ap•pease′ment, n. 
ap•peas′er, n. 
ap•peas′ing•ly, adv. 
Synonyms

• 1. calm, placate.
• 3. Appease, conciliate, propitiate imply trying to preserve or obtain peace. To appease is to make anxious overtures and often undue concessions to satisfy the demands of someone with a greed for power, territory, etc.:
  Chamberlain tried to appease Hitler at Munich.
  To conciliate is to win an enemy or opponent over by displaying a willingness to be just and fair:
  When mutual grievances are recognized, conciliation is possible.
  To propitiate is to admit a fault, and, by trying to make amends, to allay hostile feeling:
  to propitiate an offended neighbor.

Antonyms

• 1. enrage.
• 2. increase, arouse, sharpen.
• 3. defy.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

appease / əˈpiːz/ verb (transitive)

1. to calm, pacify, or soothe, esp by acceding to the demands of
2. to satisfy or quell (an appetite or thirst, etc)

Etymology: 16th Century: from Old French apaisier, from pais peace, from Latin pax

apˈpeaser noun