smooth sailing
idiomatic phrase
: easy progress without impediment or difficulty
After the mix-up was rectified, it was smooth sailing again.—
Mike Brown
Mike BrownHe just kept talking and talking his nonstop sunny talk about what a great summer we were going to have and that he had tons of plans and that we would get caught up as father and son and soon all our rough past would be behind us and we would have nothing but smooth sailing for our future.—Jack Ganto
Jack GantoExamples of smooth sailing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But while things appear to be smooth sailing today, the trailer suggests getting to that point was quite the journey.
—Joelle Goldstein, People.com, 14 July 2025
Only America’s favorites will continue on… but there’s no smooth sailing to the finale just yet.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
The Hill: Trump has turned Oval Office meetings with foreign leaders into diplomatic thrill rides, which at times have crashed, a la Zelensky, and at other times have been surprisingly smooth sailing, such as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 23 May 2025
The windy drive up to the helicopter’s launch pad takes about 25 minutes from the city center and was the only rocky part of the travels for anyone prone to motion sickness, but the rest of the experience was smooth sailing.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for smooth sailing
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Joelle Goldstein, People.com, 14 July 2025
Only America’s favorites will continue on… but there’s no smooth sailing to the finale just yet.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
The Hill: Trump has turned Oval Office meetings with foreign leaders into diplomatic thrill rides, which at times have crashed, a la Zelensky, and at other times have been surprisingly smooth sailing, such as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 23 May 2025
The windy drive up to the helicopter’s launch pad takes about 25 minutes from the city center and was the only rocky part of the travels for anyone prone to motion sickness, but the rest of the experience was smooth sailing.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for smooth sailing
Cite this Entry
“Smooth sailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smooth%20sailing. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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