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.

Development has not been smooth sailing though, with makers IO Interactive announcing a two-month delay to the release in December to "further polish" it.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Investors are also turning their attention to the 2026 midterm elections, an occasion that isn’t known to be smooth sailing in markets.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 17, 2026

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

From Barron's • Dec. 12, 2025

All was smooth sailing till eight weeks into their journey when, on the verge of uncharted waters, they came across the longboat filled with human bones.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

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

smooth sailing

Example Sentences

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