plain sailing

noun

: smooth sailing
Creating the lagoon was not all plain sailing. The bulldozer compacted the soil, and several trees died.Eleanor Dwight

Examples of plain sailing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
No change is ever completely plain sailing and there’s been some kinks to iron out. Barnaby Lashbrooke, Fortune, 5 June 2023 But the grain deal remains far from plain sailing. Susie Blann, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2022 This all sounds incredible, but there are rumors that delivering so much innovation hasn’t been entirely plain sailing. James Morris, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2023 However, with three failures already, 2023 looks unlikely to be plain sailing. Julia Buckley, CNN, 11 Feb. 2023 See all Example Sentences for plain sailing 

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of plain sailing was in 1796

Dictionary Entries Near plain sailing

Cite this Entry

“Plain sailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plain%20sailing. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!