smooth over

phrasal verb

smoothed over; smoothing over; smooths over also smoothes over

: to make (a disagreement, problem, difficulty, etc.) seem less serious than it really is

Don't worry about missing the application deadline—we'll smooth that over with the office.

She smoothed over the objections to his candidacy.

Examples of smooth over in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Pichai and Bezos aren’t the only tech leaders trying to smooth over their rocky histories with Trump. —

Emma Roth, The Verge, 12 Dec. 2024 Carrying The Weight Of Your Relationship A telling sign of savior-like tendencies is the urge to solve every problem, smooth over conflicts and keep everything afloat in your relationship. —

Mark Travers, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024 People usually look to peptides specifically, though, for their ability to smooth over fine lines. —

Lori Keong, Allure, 5 Oct. 2024 This set with a 100% mulberry silk face mask and pillow, both of which help smooth over fine lines and frizz. —

Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 2 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for smooth over