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
-
But don’t excuse Montgomery Steppe or Aguirre.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026 -
Cherfilus-McCormick has denied wrongdoing, excusing the allegations as an accounting error.—
Lauren Peller,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The federal judge in that case ruled that a jury could find that State Farm had acted in bad faith if the plaintiffs' lawyers demonstrated that the company ignored certain kinds of hail damage.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In crush, puncture, and saw tests, the battery produced no smoke or flames – a safety profile that's hard to ignore.—
Omar Kardoudi
April 28,
New Atlas,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
So far, that skepticism has appeared justified.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
This seeming deference to executive interests is particularly difficult to justify in an administration willing to flout court orders.—
Gregg Nunziata,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
From the outside, the enormous former glove factory still resembles a warehouse, and from the store’s towering façade alone, first timers would be forgiven for thinking there’s no way the entire interior could be filled with books.—
Kat Chen,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Apr. 2026
-
In the Catholic tradition, a bad action doesn’t make someone a bad person; good people can sin and be forgiven.—
Elias Wachtel,
The Atlantic,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Mike Jones of The Athletic explains why the lack of top-tier quarterback prospects beyond Fernando Mendoza limits the intrigue typically expected of NFL drafts.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
-
One final metric that explains the nature of Bromley’s style is their passing sequences.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
It shouldn’t be overlooked that the Spurs were able to win a playoff game on the road without their franchise cornerstone.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
During the journey, visitors can stop at 12 different points of interest and overlooks that showcase the area’s diverse scenery.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Production is either exalted or explained away.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Offscreen, some fans accuse Wyle of explaining away or downplaying his fictional character’s cruelty, and of a constellation of other sins, including envy of his fellow actors’ credentials.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
15 Apr. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Gloss (over).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gloss%20%28over%29. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
