smooth out
phrasal verb
smoothed out; smoothing out; smooths out also smoothes out
1
: to make (something) smooth or flat
Help me smooth out the tablecloth.
After we dug up the soil, we smoothed it out before we planted the seeds.
2
: to make (something) easier by removing or dealing with problems
We will smooth out the election process by next year.
She tried to smooth things out with her daughter-in-law, but the damage was done.
Examples of smooth out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Planet Proton’s Limits Conceptually, this kind of analysis smooths out the blurry dance of quarks into a solid, planetlike object, with pressures and forces acting on each speck of volume.
—
Charlie Wood, WIRED, 14 Apr. 2024
Analysts argue that the United States only has itself to blame for this predicament, given the ongoing inability of Congress to push through bipartisan immigration reform that could relieve some of the pressures on the border and smooth out delays in asylum applications.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
The headlight is nice and bright, the 10-inch self-sealing tubeless tires smooth out ridges in the road, front dual suspension also makes bumps less noticeable, the deck to stand on is large, the dashboard is colorful, and of course the unit easily folds up for storage.
—Scott Kramer, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Many employers are scrambling to smooth out that transition.
—Byalicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
Another issue is the lack of choice on the secondhand market, although this was entirely predictable, and starting to smooth out now.
—James Morris, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
Reid Detmers is hoping to smooth out the rollercoaster that the first years of his career have been.
—Jeff Fletcher, Orange County Register, 15 Feb. 2024
Yes, despite a historic offensive output the Bucks have some things that can get smoothed out.
—Jim Owczarski, Journal Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2024
This is seemingly a minor drop, but the average smooths out significant variations between cities.
—Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024
Charlie Wood, WIRED, 14 Apr. 2024
Analysts argue that the United States only has itself to blame for this predicament, given the ongoing inability of Congress to push through bipartisan immigration reform that could relieve some of the pressures on the border and smooth out delays in asylum applications.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
The headlight is nice and bright, the 10-inch self-sealing tubeless tires smooth out ridges in the road, front dual suspension also makes bumps less noticeable, the deck to stand on is large, the dashboard is colorful, and of course the unit easily folds up for storage.
—Scott Kramer, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Many employers are scrambling to smooth out that transition.
—Byalicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
Another issue is the lack of choice on the secondhand market, although this was entirely predictable, and starting to smooth out now.
—James Morris, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
Reid Detmers is hoping to smooth out the rollercoaster that the first years of his career have been.
—Jeff Fletcher, Orange County Register, 15 Feb. 2024
Yes, despite a historic offensive output the Bucks have some things that can get smoothed out.
—Jim Owczarski, Journal Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2024
This is seemingly a minor drop, but the average smooths out significant variations between cities.
—Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smooth out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near smooth out
Cite this Entry
“Smooth out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smooth%20out. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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