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Synonyms

grease the wheels

Idioms  
  1. Also, oil the wheels. Make things run smoothly, as in You can count on Ben to grease the wheels so we'll be waited on promptly. This metaphoric expression transfers literal lubrication to figurative. [Mid-1600s]


Example Sentences

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While commitments can grease the wheels of a supply chain during a boom, they also serve as insurance for suppliers against an unexpected downturn in end demand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Yet as long as unemployment remains low, Americans should have enough confidence to keep spending to grease the wheels of the economy.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 15, 2025

But as Douthat knows, some pretense is always necessary to grease the wheels of personal relations, especially of diplomacy.

From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2025

That could help Capital One and Discover grease the wheels with regulators and gain approval for the deal because antitrust regulators have long had those payment giants in their crosshairs.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2024

Miles dragged himself to many of the social functions that grease the wheels of motion in Washington.

From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Winn Schwartau

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