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smooth out meaning and examples

2025-10-02

Meaning

“Smooth out” means to make something flat, even, or free from wrinkles, bumps, or problems. It can also mean to solve or reduce difficulties in a situation.

Grammar and Usage

  • Verb type: Phrasal verb (transitive)

  • Structure:

    • smooth out + noun (to make a surface even)
    • smooth out + problem/difficulty (to resolve an issue)

Examples:

  • "She smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress."
  • "They smoothed out the differences between the two companies."

Common Phrases

  • smooth out wrinkles – to remove creases from clothes or paper.
  • smooth out differences – to resolve disagreements.
  • smooth out problems/issues – to make difficulties less severe.

Collocations

  • smooth out wrinkles
  • smooth out the surface
  • smooth out the process
  • smooth out relations
  • smooth out conflicts

Examples

  1. She used her hands to smooth out the folds in the blanket.
  2. The manager tried to smooth out the conflict between employees.
  3. A steam iron helps smooth out wrinkles in shirts.
  4. The two leaders met to smooth out their political differences.
  5. They held a meeting to smooth out the details of the contract.
  6. He smoothed out the clay before shaping it into a pot.
  7. Yoga helps smooth out stress and tension.
  8. The teacher helped smooth out misunderstandings between classmates.
  • flatten
  • straighten
  • iron out
  • resolve
  • fix

Antonym

  • wrinkle
  • crease
  • complicate
  • worsen