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. Quanta Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024 This is seemingly a minor drop, but the average smooths out significant variations between cities. Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024 Infused with botanical ingredients, the formulation smooths out the lips while coating them with velvety, matte color that melts into them like butter. Jenny Berg, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2024 From smoothing out the online shopping journey to providing personalized products and a whole lot in between, generative AI can help retailers delight customers – and that goes for shopping in physical stores as well as online stores. Bernard Marr, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The translator or translators generally cleaned up Putin’s prose, smoothing out passages that, in Russian, made no sense. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2024 From dryness to smoothing out the appearance of wrinkles, hyaluronic acid does a lot to keep our skin looking and feeling healthy. Audrey Noble, Vogue, 18 Feb. 2024 What’s perplexing parents and random shoppers alike is why kids are so focused on products that are made and marketed to adults looking to smooth out wrinkles and hide undereye circles — not exactly the typical concerns of your average fourth grader. Megan McIntyre, Allure, 7 Feb. 2024 Our budget funding is volatile, and the Legislature must play a leading role in smoothing out this revenue roller coaster. Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 5 Feb. 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 29 Mar. 2024.

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