gloss over

verb

1. to hide under a deceptively attractive surface or appearance
2. to deal with (unpleasant facts) rapidly and cursorily, or to omit them altogether from an account of something

Idioms and Phrases

Make attractive or acceptable by deception or superficial treatment. For example, His resumé glossed over his lack of experience , or She tried to gloss over the mistake by insisting it would make no difference . [Mid-1600s]

Example Sentences

But Harris glossed over the details of how abortion legislation could pass Congress.

From Los Angeles Times

"There was not one test that showed that she had a UTI, they completely glossed over the fact that she was vomiting blood," said Rachael.

From BBC

“Martha” doesn’t gloss over Stewart’s prickly, demanding personality, but it also makes the case that she was unfairly maligned — and ultimately prosecuted — because of her gender.

From Los Angeles Times

We need to gloss over some details of what Thanh says happened to him over the next few years in order to continue to hide his identity.

From BBC

The utter devastation of churches, mosques, schools, bakeries and hospitals in Gaza gets glossed over by the media because Israel claims Hamas is embedded among civilians and “Israel has a right to self-defense.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• brush
• coat
• cover
• daub
• decorate
• depict
• design
• draw
• dye
• portray
• sketch
• tint
• wash