smooth over
1 of 1verb/smuð ˈoʊvər/
Forms:smooths over,smoothing over,smoothed over,smoothed over
1
to make a situation or relationship less tense by calming emotions, resolving conflicts, etc.
- They decided to smooth over the conflict by quickly changing the topic.
- The manager attempted to smooth over the mistake by offering a quick apology.
- The public relations team worked hard to smooth the negative publicity over with a carefully crafted statement.
- To avoid further complications, they decided to smooth the matter over swiftly and without extensive discussion.
- She hoped to smooth over the misunderstanding by addressing it directly with a sincere conversation.
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