iron out

verb

ironed out; ironing out; irons out

transitive verb

1

: to make smooth or flat by or as if by pressing

2

: to resolve or work out a solution to

ironed out their differences

Examples of iron out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Details of the Tivoli space, like menu items and its hours, are still being ironed out. — Matthew Geiger, Denver Post, 23 July 2026

Lotus seems to have ironed out the hesitancy that previously afflicted the dual-clutch ’box, particularly when parking. — Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 22 July 2026

Hamilton devoted herself to making sense of the stories, arranging them in some kind of order and sequence, ironing out contradictions. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026

The shrinking river means states are going to have to accept less, but how this works in practice has yet to be ironed out. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 22 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1753, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for iron out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout

Kids Definition

iron out

verb

1

: to make smooth or flat by or as if by ironing

2

: to work out a solution to

ironed out their differences