smooth over
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
A day later, Paramount offered concessions in a bid to smooth over European Commission concerns.
—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
3 July 2026
The world of Pride and Prejudice expects women to accommodate male pride as a social fact, to smooth over awkwardness, to accept that status and wealth compensate for coldness or indifference.
—
Literary Hub,
29 June 2026
From a data architecture perspective, why do manufacturing stage impacts like finishing get so routinely underrepresented or smoothed over in typical ESG reporting?
—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
25 June 2026
This can, in turn, leave Cancer feeling as though Libra is smoothing over problems rather than truly engaging with them.
—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for smooth over
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Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
3 July 2026
The world of Pride and Prejudice expects women to accommodate male pride as a social fact, to smooth over awkwardness, to accept that status and wealth compensate for coldness or indifference.
—
Literary Hub,
29 June 2026
From a data architecture perspective, why do manufacturing stage impacts like finishing get so routinely underrepresented or smoothed over in typical ESG reporting?
—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
25 June 2026
This can, in turn, leave Cancer feeling as though Libra is smoothing over problems rather than truly engaging with them.
—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for smooth over
Cite this Entry
“Smooth over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smooth%20over. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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