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.

McCarthy’s cleverly edited film, even while purporting to portray the Brat Pack as put-upon by the phrase, manages to smooth over the fact that no real animus exists anymore between the Brat Pack actors and me. —

David Blum, Vulture, 13 June 2024 Things are not smoothing over for Heather Gay and Mary Cosby. —

Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 23 Oct. 2024 That being said, Netflix’s stock performance has been anything but smooth over the last four years, with annual returns being considerably more volatile than the S&P 500. —

Trefis Team, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024 Not only does the sheer setting and smoothing powder help manage oil production and smooth over texture, it’s packed with nourishing ingredients that hydrate the skin and clear out congestion—sans caking and creasing. —

Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 24 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for smooth over