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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Gardening – When a batter scratches at the pitch with his bat between deliveries, usually to try and smooth out the surface. Laurence Miedema, Mercury News, 11 June 2025 Thus, the city worked with California State Parks and the California Coastal Commission on a $1.8 million project to rip out and rebuild the ramp, smooth out ramps and walkways on both sides and install new handrails. Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 June 2025 When fears of global recession sent oil prices tumbling and put pressure on the naira, the central bank had the firepower to step in, selling reserves to smooth out temporary disorder. Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025 The Chinese phone maker has come a long way from beauty filters that smooth out your wrinkles, though those are still available. Simon Hill, Wired News, 30 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for smooth out

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Cite this Entry

“Smooth out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smooth%20out. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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