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
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.
Soon after, McCracken’s Powerpuff Girls landed a greenlight, making him into a star of the animation world, but this wasn’t plain sailing either. Max Goldbart, Deadline, 10 June 2025 The build-up, though, to the title defense has been far from plain sailing. Julia Andersen, CNN Money, 10 June 2025 However, attracting voters won't be plain sailing for Republicans. Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025 Modernising the world’s maritime fleets is far from plain sailing. David Prosser, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Plain sailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plain%20sailing. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.

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