Meaning & use
going smoothly
Last updated
“going smoothly” is a form of “go smoothly”.
Meaning
phraseintransitive
Progressing without problems or difficulties; happening easily and well.
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase; the subject is the event or activity: The party is going smoothly.
Patterns
- something is going smoothly
- go smoothly for someone
The project is going smoothly so far.
The interview went smoothly, and she got the job.
If everything is going smoothly, we'll finish early.
Word forms
| base form | go smoothly |
|---|---|
| past tense | went smoothly |
| past participle | gone smoothly |
| third person singular | goes smoothly |
Common combinations
- going smoothly so far
- The negotiations are going smoothly so far.
- everything going smoothly
- I hope everything is going smoothly for you.
- going smoothly according to plan
- The event is going smoothly according to plan.
Synonyms and how they differ
- running smoothly
- Very similar, but 'running smoothly' is more common for machines or systems; 'going smoothly' is for events or processes.
- proceeding well
- More formal; 'going smoothly' is neutral and common in everyday speech.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: going smoothly or going slow?
going smoothly vs going slow
Means moving at a low speed; 'going smoothly' means without problems.
Practice
Complete the sentence: 'The meeting was ___ until the fire alarm went off.'
Choose one answer.
The correct phrase is 'going smoothly' (adverb + verb). 'Going smooth' is incorrect because 'smooth' is an adjective; 'smoothness' is a noun; 'smoothlyly' is not a word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “going smoothly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.