gloss over
Britishverb
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to hide under a deceptively attractive surface or appearance
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to deal with (unpleasant facts) rapidly and cursorily, or to omit them altogether from an account of something
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.
Each nation had their own complex relationship with the U.S., which history books tend to gloss over.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
It was the kind of routine email that employees would normally gloss over.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
“You want to actively increase your retirement contributions. So many people do ‘set it and forget it,’ and it’s so easy to gloss over.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 29, 2025
Compared to the 11th Circuit’s decision, other courts’ opinions on this subject are half-baked and muddled, reliant upon dubious generalizations that gloss over key historical materials.
From Slate ● Mar. 17, 2025
“Come here, Morg,” she said, and she ran the lip gloss over Morgan’s lips.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
