smooth over
phrasal verb
smoothed over; smoothing over; smooths over also smoothes over
: to make (a disagreement, problem, difficulty, etc.) seem less serious than it really is
Don't worry about missing the application deadline—we'll smooth that over with the office.
She smoothed over the objections to his candidacy.
Examples of smooth over in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The role of any newspaper, especially one with the long and proud legacy of The Sun, is not to smooth over uncomfortable realities in the name of civility.
—
Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 16 Feb. 2026
In the end, though, all that pageantry can only smooth over so much.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2026
Not every tense moment needs to be smoothed over.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Industry norms have developed to smooth over those differences.
—Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smooth over
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Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 16 Feb. 2026
In the end, though, all that pageantry can only smooth over so much.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2026
Not every tense moment needs to be smoothed over.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Industry norms have developed to smooth over those differences.
—Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smooth over
Cite this Entry
“Smooth over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smooth%20over. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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