Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

smooth over

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.39 in modern English

Syllables: smooth over
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

1

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To make (a rough surface) smooth

Transitive verb

verb

To pacify (e.g. rumours)

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"Then, as usual, the sheep broke into "Four legs good, two legs bad!" and the momentary awkwardness was smoothed over."
"A revolution would allow people to be who they really are: controlling their own appearance, work sexuality; their own lives. A revolution means consciously confronting the bigotry that divides us—not smoothing it over and hoping it will go away."

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

smooths over (present, singular) smoothing over (participle, present) smoothed over (participle, past) smoothed over (past)

Synonyms

gloss over skate over slur over skimp over

Questions

What does smooth over mean?: To make (a rough surface) smooth

How to pronounce smooth over

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “smooth over”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “smooth over”.
Repeat and practice — Say “smooth over” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.