smooth
Americanadjective
-
smoother,
comparative
-
smoothest
superlative
-
free from projections or unevenness of surface; not rough.
smooth wood; a smooth road.
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generally flat or unruffled, as a calm sea.
-
free from hairs or a hairy growth.
a smooth cheek.
-
of uniform consistency; free from lumps, as a batter, sauce, etc.
-
free from or proceeding without abrupt curves, bends, etc..
a smooth ride.
-
allowing or having an even, uninterrupted movement or flow.
smooth driving.
-
easy and uniform, as motion or the working of a machine.
-
having projections worn away.
a smooth tire casing.
-
free from hindrances or difficulties.
a smooth day at the office.
-
noting a metal file having the minimum commercial grade of coarseness for a single-cut file.
-
undisturbed, tranquil, or equable, as the feelings, temper, etc.; serene.
a smooth disposition.
-
elegant, easy, or polished.
smooth manners.
-
ingratiatingly polite or suave.
That salesman is a smooth talker.
-
free from harshness, sharpness, or bite; bland or mellow, as cheese or wine.
-
not harsh to the ear, as sound.
the smooth music of a ballroom dance band.
-
Phonetics. without aspiration.
adverb
verb (used with object)
-
smooths,
present (3rd person singular)
-
smoothed,
past participle, past
-
smoothing
present participle
-
to make smooth of surface, as by scraping, planing, or pressing.
-
to remove (projections, ridges, wrinkles, etc.) in making something smooth (often followed by away orout ).
-
to free from difficulties.
-
to remove (obstacles) from a path (often followed byaway ).
-
to make more polished, elegant, or agreeable, as wording or manners.
-
to tranquilize, calm, or soothe (a person, the feelings, etc.).
-
Mathematics. to simplify (an expression) by substituting approximate or certain known values for the variables.
noun
-
act of smoothing.
She adjusted the folds with a smooth of her hand.
-
something that is smooth; a smooth part or place.
through the rough and the smooth.
verb phrase
adjective
-
resting in the same plane; without bends or irregularities
-
silky to the touch
smooth velvet
-
lacking roughness of surface; flat
-
tranquil or unruffled
smooth temper
-
lacking obstructions or difficulties
-
-
suave or persuasive, esp as suggestive of insincerity
-
( in combination )
smooth-tongued
-
-
(of the skin) free from hair
-
of uniform consistency
smooth batter
-
not erratic; free from jolts
smooth driving
-
not harsh or astringent
a smooth wine
-
having all projections worn away
smooth tyres
-
maths (of a curve) differentiable at every point
-
phonetics without preliminary or simultaneous aspiration
-
gentle to the ear; flowing
-
physics (of a plane, surface, etc) regarded as being frictionless
adverb
verb
-
to make or become flattened or without roughness or obstructions
-
to take or rub (away) in order to make smooth
she smoothed out the creases in her dress
-
to make calm; soothe
-
to make easier
smooth his path
-
electrical engineering to remove alternating current ripple from the output of a direct current power supply
-
obsolete to make more polished or refined
noun
-
the smooth part of something
-
the act of smoothing
-
tennis squash badminton the side of a racket on which the binding strings form a continuous line Compare rough
Synonym Usage
See level.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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oversmoothnessnoun
-
smoothernoun
-
smoothnessnoun
-
unsmoothnessnoun
-
presmoothverb (used with object)
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resmoothverb (used with object)
-
oversmoothadjective
-
smoothableadjective
-
unsmoothadjective
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unsmoothedadjective
-
oversmoothlyadverb
-
smoothlyadverb
-
unsmoothlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
smoothsimple
-
smoothssimple
-
have smoothedperfect
-
has smoothedperfect
-
am smoothingprogressive
-
are smoothingprogressive
-
is smoothingprogressive
-
have been smoothingperfect progressive
-
has been smoothingperfect progressive
Past
-
smoothedsimple
-
had smoothedperfect
-
was smoothingprogressive
-
were smoothingprogressive
-
had been smoothingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of smooth
First recorded before 1050; (adjective) Middle English smothe, late Old English smōth; compare Middle English smethe, Old English smēthe “smooth”; cognate with Old Saxon smōthi; (verb) late Middle English smothen, derivative of the adjective; replacing Middle English smethen, Old English smēth(i)an
Explanation
Something smooth is free of roughness, stubble, or other imperfections that you can feel with your hands. If your wooden table is giving you splinters, use a sander to smooth it down and make it smooth. As you can see, smooth works as both a verb and an adjective. Smooth has lots of interesting uses: Caught in a wind storm? Better smooth out your hair when you head inside. Got a friend who's good with the ladies? Try imitating his smooth moves. Need help to smooth out a dispute between two friends? Invite them out for coffee and offer to help them smooth out their differences. Some pianists prefer ivory keys to plastic because they're less smooth, and their fingers don't slip. The best dancers can move smoothly from one move to another.
Vocabulary lists containing smooth
Mellow Out: Synonyms for "Calm"
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Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But Pope Leo's close ties to the world's most Catholic continent, cultivated over long years as a missionary and then archbishop in Peru, helped smooth the transition, she said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
This chemical messenger allows nerve cells to communicate and helps the brain coordinate smooth, controlled movements.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026
They also depicted James’s life as smooth and sunny, despite his obsession with things that go bump in the night.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Gov. Gavin Newsom is launching a “strike force” of state government workers to help reduce bureaucratic delays and smooth the way for the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
They weren’t nearly as smooth or even as the thread his father used to make, but they’d do.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
It has made their permits and approvals strictly a state business, hoping to offer developers a smoother ride and to attract jobs and a larger tax base.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
The researchers found that the marmoset's smaller, smoother cerebral cortex is not the result of a single developmental change.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
Controller in hand, the game also feels much smoother.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Had Ratan Tata overseen the succession himself, the transition would have been smoother, he says.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
His face, which had always appeared smooth, seemed smoother still, in this new state; he almost reminded Helen of a monk — a man at some profound leisure.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
“SPR releases go the smoothest when you can release something very close to what’s been lost,” said Andrew Harbourne, analyst at Wood Mackenzie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
But it hasn’t always been the smoothest ride.
From Barron's ● Nov. 21, 2025
Australia may be unbeaten but did not start this tournament in the smoothest fashion, with individual performances digging their batting line-up out of trouble in their opening matches.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2025
“Not the smoothest of rides to get here,” first baseman Freddie Feeman added.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2025
And she gave me the smoothest and whitest stone I had ever seen.
From "Sarah, Plain and Tall" by Patricia MacLachlan
The company’s overall net sales were up 7.6% on a constant-currency basis, which smooths out the impact of foreign-currency fluctuations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
These include having software that smooths out rapid acceleration, adding sound systems and subtle seat vibrations to signal to passengers that the car is moving, and offering adaptive regenerative braking that reduces sudden deceleration.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
In this cosmic battle, dark energy appears to be winning — expanding our universe over trillions of years until everything thins and smooths out into almost nothingness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
This layer smooths the input data before calculating changes, avoiding the instability caused by traditional methods.
From Science Daily ● May 6, 2026
She smooths her skirt and sets her phone on her lap, screen down, hands clasped together.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Towering granite boulders smoothed over millions of years frame powder-white sand and turquoise water so clear it looks tinted: That’s Anse Source d’Argent, one of the Seychelles’ dozens of beaches scattered across 115 islands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Politically strong, he smoothed relations around former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's attempt to gain support for a World Cup every two years, and has never truly bought into the idea of a 64-team tournament.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Ahead of the opening arguments, Rinderknecht smoothed back his hair and his lawyer helped adjust his tie, before giving him a pat on the back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
The report may have smoothed over some frayed nerves about artificial intelligence coming for jobs.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 5, 2026
She got to the first page of Snow White, and smoothed the book open against her lap.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
That was a big step toward smoothing the enrollment process, but the accounts still need to be claimed by parents to manage them and to allow family members, friends and employers to contribute.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
When they have been effective, they have managed to ride the choppier waves while also smoothing relations with the media - providing context for inquisitive journalists and helping tamp down any simmering issues.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Formatting, finding repetition, smoothing transitions, the structural diagnosis of a chapter that won’t cohere—this is where the hours go.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
These accounts collide with the present era’s eerie uncertainty at every turn, making for an altogether riveting, cyclical listening experience that tells her life’s story without smoothing its contradictions.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
“Here,” I say, drawing out the folded-up note and smoothing it against the top of a cunning little table with carved bird feet for legs.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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