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
-
That does not excuse, but that’s his personal [life].—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
9 Nov. 2025 -
But missing Curry did not excuse the team’s lapses.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The same is true of Guiteau’s eventual imprisonment and trial, which aren’t ignored but barely touch on the wackiness that actually ensued.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
-
There were extremely rich philosophical traditions in the non-Western world that your great books classes completely ignore.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Yuba County District Attorney Clint Curry in early October cleared Rodarte and Trumm of potential wrongdoing, deeming their gunfire in response to Oliver as justified self-defense.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Some of Ross’s actions could be legally justified, Ramsey noted.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Still, some of these foibles are easier to forgive when seen in service of the greater good.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
5 Jan. 2026
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Reading the media these days, you would be forgiven for thinking the technology, journalism, and investment communities were inadvertently wishing an AI ‘bubble’ into existence.—
Oscar Täckström,
Fortune,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Since proper vesicle recycling is crucial for brain communication, this mechanism could explain why patients experience diverse symptoms – from movement problems to memory loss – depending on which brain regions are affected first.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Speaking on The Allison Hagendorf Show, Perry, the lead singer, explained just how the stars aligned for 4 Non Blondes to take the stage together once again.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Under pressure to fill vacancies quickly, agencies often rush background checks, shorten psychological screenings, and overlook red flags that would normally disqualify candidates.—
Karl W. Bickel,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Jan. 2026
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With multilingual capabilities in over 50 languages, the robots eliminate language barriers that can slow service and leave guests feeling overlooked.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But Ruff was clear that the injury situation doesn’t explain away what the Sabres looked like in the first three games.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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One downside of Oza’s model, Kipping notes, is that any fluctuations in the levels of sulfur dioxide, sodium and potassium observed on WASP-39b can be easily explained away as variability in eruptions.—
Nola Taylor Tillman,
Scientific American,
13 Oct. 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 10 Jan. 2026.
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