smooth sailing

Idioms

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 in that crisis either.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

“But the underlying structure still reads as anything but smooth sailing for equity investors.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 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

But expiration of the waiting period without issue signals smooth sailing ahead.

From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026

"Then smooth sailing, sailor," he said, and slapped me on the back.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023