to smooth over
18
4.9
- phrasal verb
- /smuːð ˈoʊvər/
:
restar importancia a
- After the disagreement, she wanted to smooth over things with her colleague to maintain a good working relationship.
On top of that, you do have in a surprise agreement, and this is really to kind of smooth over relations with the United States.
- On top of that, you do have in a surprise agreement, and this is really to kind of smooth over relations with the United States.
- So because of this care, that guilt can now reel him back in that in an attempt to smooth things over with you.
- And so depending on the the charts kind of smooth over that too.
Examples
-
Ultimately, there's nothing like an apology to smooth things over.
Academic text (2002) -
I'll smooth things over with him at the premiere.
-
I just came over to smooth things over with your husband.
-
What can I do to smooth this over?
-
We're trying to smooth things over.
-
I thought maybe I should help smooth things over.
-
Their mother had always been the one to smooth things over.
Fiction book (1998) -
Regardless, his buddy Lucas could be persuaded to smooth things over between them.
Blog text (22) -
In the past, governments generally tried to smooth over social conflicts, especially those within their own borders.
Blog text (16) -
I know we've gotten off to a rocky start but I want to smooth things over.
Synonyms
22
6.5
Make a problem or mistake seem less serious by leaving out details
5
7.9
Try to hide problems instead of dealing with them
1
6.9
Handle a problem quickly without looking at the details
1
6.8
To avoid talking about a controversial issue on purpose
To deal with a subject quickly and without enough detail
To deal with something quickly and not in enough detail
To make someone's problems seem less important than they are
Antonyms
How Thorough
623
3.3
22
3.8
18
4.9
22
6.5
- Informal
5
7.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is a straightforward metaphorical extension of 'smooth' (to make even or remove roughness) combined with 'over' (across/cover), so 'smooth over' conveys making a problem seem less rough or covering it up. This verb+particle composition is a common, predictable pattern in English (and parallels exist in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would very likely infer the intended sense.
Etymology
Smooth over comes from the picture of someone using their hand to smooth a rough cloth or surface over until it looks flat. So, it means to make a problem seem smaller or 'less serious', often 'without solving' the real problem.