smooth sailing
idiomatic phrase
: easy progress without impediment or difficulty
After the mix-up was rectified, it was smooth sailing again.—
Mike Brown
Mike BrownHe just kept talking and talking his nonstop sunny talk about what a great summer we were going to have and that he had tons of plans and that we would get caught up as father and son and soon all our rough past would be behind us and we would have nothing but smooth sailing for our future.—Jack Ganto
Jack GantoExamples of smooth sailing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Blue Devils haven't seen a close game in the first two rounds, and it's been fairly smooth sailing so far.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025
Despite what social media may portray, travel isn’t always smooth sailing.
—Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2025
Following the successes of Blade and Blade II, Blade: Trinity was expected to be smooth sailing to success.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025
Although Verstappen and Red Bull are the team to beat at the moment, their start to 2025 hasn’t been smooth sailing.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smooth sailing
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.
Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025
Despite what social media may portray, travel isn’t always smooth sailing.
—Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2025
Following the successes of Blade and Blade II, Blade: Trinity was expected to be smooth sailing to success.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025
Although Verstappen and Red Bull are the team to beat at the moment, their start to 2025 hasn’t been smooth sailing.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smooth sailing
Cite this Entry
“Smooth sailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smooth%20sailing. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share