smooth sailing

idiomatic phrase

: easy progress without impediment or difficulty
After the mix-up was rectified, it was smooth sailing again.Mike Brown
He just kept talking and talking his nonstop sunny talk about what a great summer we were going to have and that he had tons of plans and that we would get caught up as father and son and soon all our rough past would be behind us and we would have nothing but smooth sailing for our future.Jack Ganto

Examples of smooth sailing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Not that the last year or more were smooth sailing. Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026 Of course, those years weren't all smooth sailing. Alex Harring,nick Wells, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2026 That way, your morning of the cruise is smooth sailing. Terri Peters, Southern Living, 1 Feb. 2026 Though the Canadiens have had relatively smooth sailing this season in the standings, there have been problems. Arpon Basu, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for smooth sailing

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of smooth sailing was in 1824

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Cite this Entry

“Smooth sailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smooth%20sailing. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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