Meaning & use
gloss over
Last updated
Meaning
phrasephrasal verbdisapproving
To mention a problem, fault or difficult subject only briefly so people do not notice it or think about it much.
Grammar: Takes an object: gloss over the details.
Patterns
- gloss over something
The brochure glosses over the high costs.
He glossed over his mistakes during the interview.
Don't gloss over the safety checks.
Word forms
| third person singular | glosses over |
|---|---|
| past tense | glossed over |
| past participle | glossed over |
| -ing form | glossing over |
Common combinations
- gloss over the details
- The speaker glossed over the details of the budget.
- gloss over a problem
- We cannot gloss over this problem any longer.
- gloss over the truth
- The ad glosses over the truth about side effects.
- conveniently gloss over
- The memoir conveniently glosses over his failures.
Synonyms and how they differ
- skim over
- Skim over can be neutral, just meaning to deal with something quickly, while gloss over suggests hiding something unpleasant.
- brush aside
- Brush aside means to dismiss something as unimportant, while gloss over means to avoid dwelling on it.
- whitewash
- Whitewash is stronger and means actively covering up wrongdoing.
- downplay
- Downplay means to make something seem less important, while gloss over means to pass over it quickly.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: gloss over or go over?
gloss over vs go over
Go over means to review something carefully, which is almost the opposite of gloss over.
Practice
The report ___ the company's losses, mentioning them only in a footnote.
Choose one answer.
Glossed over means treated briefly to avoid attention. Went over would mean reviewed carefully, which does not match a mere footnote.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gloss over”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.