gloss over

verb

1. to hide under a deceptively attractive surface or appearance

2. to deal with (unpleasant facts) rapidly and cursorily, or to omit them altogether from an account of something

Idioms and Phrases

Make attractive or acceptable by deception or superficial treatment. For example, His resumé glossed over his lack of experience, or She tried to gloss over the mistake by insisting it would make no difference. [Mid-1600s]

Example Sentences

On the day itself, reporters tend to gloss over those opening pages afterwards, because the choices are more newsworthy than the argument.

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Yet the rosy picture painted by cheerleading TikTok and Instagram influencers glosses over potential adverse effects.

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The ending, always the hardest thing to land in horror stories, falls short of perfection only because it’s almost glossed over; I missed the denouement on the first read.

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But he glossed over the really big questions about what comes next, particularly how to secure and govern Gaza.

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If you’re in early retirement — or close to it — you don’t want to gloss over the announcement of new tax brackets for 2026 as next year’s problem.

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Related Words

• brush 
• coat 
• cover 
• daub 
• decorate 
• depict 
• design 
• draw 
• dye 
• portray 
• sketch 
• tint 
• wash