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
-
As the couple continued to pepper Harry with questions, Caroline excused herself to get another seltzer.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Apr. 2026 -
Continue reading … MEDIA HALL PASS — Nashville public school excuses Muslim students for daily prayer time during Ramadan.—
,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Roughly 2 in 10 did not have time to make an appointment, had felt ignored or dismissed by a provider in the past or were too embarrassed to talk to a person.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Too seldom is the collective good even an afterthought, E Pluribus Unum a motto untranslated and ignored.—
Rabbi Dan Levin,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Our expert take The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a standout premium credit card with plenty of luxury perks and statement credits to justify its annual fee.—
Jason Stauffer,
CNBC,
13 Apr. 2026
-
For the Fed to cut, adding more liquidity to the economy while prices are already elevated would be highly unusual—but might be justified if another element of the Fed’s mandate demanded it.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For now, at least, the audience seems forgiving, which lets Jomboy try new things.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
-
You’d be forgiven for getting the impression that Apple and Netflix were at odds somehow upon seeing the reports that Netflix has switched the content-player screen on its Apple TV app back to its own design instead of the native Apple player.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Burke explained, however, the homes may be isolated by water covering the road.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Davis explained that gas taxes aren't like a sales tax — suspending them won't directly pass all of the savings to the consumer.—
Kathryn Watson,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
What tends to be overlooked, in the aesthetic shock, is Proust’s elaborate hymn to its moral and spiritual implications.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Set on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, this sprawling 30-acre resort has 263 rooms with gorgeous oceanfront views and generously sized soaking tubs.—
Acacia Gabriel,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The gallium anomaly remains similarly tough to explain away.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The famed African American journalist investigated lynchings across the South and wrote about the savage incidents that the white press had already explained away.—
Case Thorp,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 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 17 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
