iron out

British  

verb

1. to smooth, using a heated iron

2. to put right or settle (a problem or difficulty) as a result of negotiations or discussions

3. informal to knock unconscious

---

iron out Idioms  

1. Work out, resolve, settle. For example, They managed to iron out all the problems with the new production process, or John and Mary finally ironed out their differences. This expression uses ironing wrinkled fabric as a metaphor for smoothing differences. [Mid-1800s]

---

Example Sentences

Your challenge now is to iron out the IRA and house questions.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

Apart from winning, Norris' target this season is to improve himself, iron out the weaknesses that were exposed by his struggles with adapting to the McLaren last year.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

But many economists think that the BLS doesn’t fully iron out seasonal effects and that the data still exhibits “residual seasonality.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

Just hours earlier, talks at the White House between Danish, Greenlandic, and US officials failed to iron out differences between Copenhagen and Nuuk on one side and Washington on the other.

From Barron's • Jan. 16, 2026

“Whatsa matter? We been doing good in rehearsal. Just wait’ll we iron out the kinks. This act is gonna be a boffo smash.”

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Related Words

• arbitrate
• clear up
• eradicate
• expedite
• get rid of
• harmonize
• negotiate
• resolve
• settle
• smooth over
• straighten out
• unravel