I. smooth 1 W3 /smuːð/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative smoother , superlative smoothest )
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ smoothness , ↑ smoothie ; verb : ↑ smooth ; adverb : ↑ smoothly ; adjective : ↑ smooth ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: smoth ]
1 . SURFACE a smooth surface has no rough parts, lumps, or holes, especially in a way that is pleasant and attractive to touch OPP rough :
Her skin felt smooth and cool.
a smooth pebble
The stone steps had been worn smooth.
2 . HAPPENING WITHOUT PROBLEMS happening or operating successfully, without any problems
smooth running/operation
Sarah is responsible for the smooth running of the sales department.
The new government has promised a smooth transition of power.
⇨ go smoothly at ↑ smoothly (2)
3 . MOVEMENT [only before noun] with no sudden movements or changes of direction, especially in a way that is graceful or comfortable:
Swing the tennis racket in one smooth motion.
The jet made a smooth landing.
smooth flight/ride (=a comfortable trip in an airplane or car)
It wasn’t a very smooth ride.
4 . PERSON someone who is smooth is polite, confident, and relaxed, but is often not sincere:
a smooth salesman
He was a smooth talker.
George is a smooth operator (=someone who does things in a smooth way) .
5 . LIQUID MIXTURE a liquid mixture that is smooth has no big pieces in it OPP lumpy :
Beat the eggs and flour until they are smooth.
6 . SOUND a voice or music that is smooth is soft and pleasant to listen to:
smooth jazz
He has one of those silky smooth (=very smooth) voices.
7 . TASTE a drink such as wine, coffee, ↑ whisky , or beer that is smooth is not bitter but tastes pleasant:
a smooth full-bodied wine
—smoothness noun [uncountable] :
the smoothness of his skin
⇨ ↑ smooth-talking
II. smooth 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ smoothness , ↑ smoothie ; verb : ↑ smooth ; adverb : ↑ smoothly ; adjective : ↑ smooth ]
1 . to make something such as cloth or hair flat by moving your hands across it:
Liz smoothed her skirt and sat down.
smooth something back/down
She smoothed back her hair.
2 . ( also smooth down ) to make a rough surface flat and even:
The wood was smoothed and trimmed to size.
Smooth down all the surfaces before you start painting.
3 . [always + adverb/preposition] to rub a liquid, cream etc gently over a surface or into a surface
smooth something into/over something
She smoothed suntan lotion over her legs.
4 . smooth the way/path for something to make it easier for something to happen, by dealing with any problems first:
Staff helped smooth the way for the new administration.
smooth something ↔ away phrasal verb
to get rid of problems or difficulties:
A few objections have to be smoothed away before we can start the project.
smooth something ↔ out phrasal verb
1 . to make something such as paper or cloth flat by moving your hands across it:
They smoothed out the map on the table.
Smooth out all the wrinkles.
2 . to make something happen in an even regular way:
Sometimes central banks intervene to smooth out price fluctuations.
3 . to get rid of problems or difficulties
smooth something ↔ over phrasal verb
if you smooth over problems, difficulties etc, you make them seem less serious and easier to control, especially by talking to the people who are involved in the problem:
Sally managed to smooth over the bad feelings between them.