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 Britain was attempting to smooth over a flap that arose over Foreign Secretary David Cameron’s recent pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago, former President Trump’s Florida resort. —

Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2024 The moon’s harmonious connection to Jupiter smooths over drama and fosters supportive exchanges. —

USA TODAY, 4 May 2024 Numerous businesses say that, three months out, such disputes should have been long smoothed over. —

Jonathan Weisman, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024 Google’s accommodations team is currently seeking employees to join a new working group to smooth over policies and procedures related to disabilities. —

Paresh Dave, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2024 The Trinity includes microcurrents and a ball design to smooth over and target large areas of the face. —

Isabella Ubaldi, Health, 20 Mar. 2024 It can also be smoothed over areas with stretch marks to minimize their appearance. —

Jenny Berg, Vogue, 24 Feb. 2024 Its smoothing fabric is made from a polyester, spandex, and nylon blend, which offers sturdy support while smoothing over lines on your back. —

Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 26 Feb. 2024 What separates these drops from the crowd is the inclusion of niacinamide and dual molecular weight hyaluronic acid, which pull their weight to even the skin tone, smooth over fine lines, and give the skin a more youthful glow. —

Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smooth over.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.