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Synonyms

smooth sailing

Idioms  

  1. Easy progress, as in We had a hard time setting up the new computer system but it'll be smooth sailing from here on. The smooth in this idiom alludes to calm waters, free from big waves or roughness, a usage dating from the late 1300s. The transfer to other kinds of easy progress dates from the second half of the 1900s. Also see plain sailing.

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.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing on Monday as the federal government started the process of accepting claims for massive amounts of tariff refunds.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

It wasn’t all smooth sailing in that crisis either.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

"We've been in this situation before where we have lost a game early and World Cups aren't always smooth sailing," he said.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

That doesn’t mean it will be smooth sailing for AI, as Oracle’s results demonstrated.

From Barron's • Dec. 12, 2025

It is smooth sailing & I was able to take a much needed rest.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman

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.

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