1
as in to excuse
to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses
I don't want to gloss over her misbehavior, but keep in mind that she's been under a lot of stress lately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to ignore
to dismiss as of little importance
this biographer tends to gloss over his subject's many character flaws
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gloss (over)
Verb
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In the wake of the news and looming death of mall culture (excuse the catastrophizing, but this is a heavy day), the PEOPLE staff held a private vigil on Slack, with emotions ranging from heartbreak and nostalgic reminiscing ... plus some utterly shocked that the store was still standing.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025 -
As the old saw goes, ignorance of the law excuses no man (person).—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Or Joe Biden when Putin ignored his warnings and invaded Ukraine in 2022.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
16 Aug. 2025
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This isn’t about weakening rights or ignoring the role of guns.—
For the Carroll County Times,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Still, the Justice Department has argued that the public's interest in Epstein's and Maxwell's cases justifies treating the transcripts from their grand jury proceedings differently.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
5 Aug. 2025
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Invoking national security to justify private sector economic development is a tired cliché.—
Kevin Green,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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You’d be forgiven if your moviegoing interest in the legacyquel — a clever term for a next-gen sequel to a popular, typically very nostalgic film that former IndieWire editor Matt Singer coined over a decade ago — has waned.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
5 Aug. 2025
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Can College Ave loans be forgiven? Private student loans from College Ave are not eligible for forgiveness.—
Adam Palasciano,
CNBC,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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His desperate attempt at explaining it away is laugh-out-loud funny.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Aug. 2025
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The grandmother explained that the family had called first responders after her daughter had taken the her granddaughter’s phone away, and the child became emotionally upset.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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An icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe keeps watch from the mantel; a painting of her cat wearing a crown overlooks her shelves and shelves of books.—
Nancy Walecki,
The Atlantic,
7 Aug. 2025
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As South America’s second smallest country, Uruguayan wine is often overlooked for Argentina and Chile.—
Michelle Williams,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Readers have tried ever since to explain away that sentence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Aug. 2025
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Meanwhile, Gascón has attempted to explain away her offensive posts.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
6 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Gloss (over).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gloss%20%28over%29. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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