grease the wheels
idiom
: to improve an essential or functioning part of an organization, process, etc.
They hoped that the tax cuts would grease the wheels of the economy.
Examples of grease the wheels in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That’s where the business makes its prototypes, along with international shipments, and Miller said the move to the Front Range will help grease the wheels of efficiency on new product launches.
—
Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 31 Jan. 2026
Established to grease the wheels of regulatory conversation and submission for innovative devices that promise to help patients with debilitating disease, the FDA has stamped 1,176 products with the breakthrough label — and so far authorized 160 of them to enter the market.
—Katie Palmer, STAT, 14 Jan. 2026
Others, however, didn't buy that explanation, positing instead that Paramount, which was hoping for approval of a merger from the Trump Administration's FCC, bent the knee to the president to grease the wheels.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025
The American charts are increasingly coming to grips with the fact that there are mainstream musical dynamos all over the planet — in Seoul, in Lagos, in San Juan — and this current K-pop push gets that English-language lyrics grease the wheels for such a crossover.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grease the wheels
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.
Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 31 Jan. 2026
Established to grease the wheels of regulatory conversation and submission for innovative devices that promise to help patients with debilitating disease, the FDA has stamped 1,176 products with the breakthrough label — and so far authorized 160 of them to enter the market.
—Katie Palmer, STAT, 14 Jan. 2026
Others, however, didn't buy that explanation, positing instead that Paramount, which was hoping for approval of a merger from the Trump Administration's FCC, bent the knee to the president to grease the wheels.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025
The American charts are increasingly coming to grips with the fact that there are mainstream musical dynamos all over the planet — in Seoul, in Lagos, in San Juan — and this current K-pop push gets that English-language lyrics grease the wheels for such a crossover.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grease the wheels
Cite this Entry
“Grease the wheels.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grease%20the%20wheels. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
