gloss over — avoid addressing (something negative or unpleasant)
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutraloccasional
to deliberately avoid discussing or paying attention to something, especially a problem or mistake, often making it seem less serious than it really is
Say it like a native
Textbook He deliberately minimised and avoided discussing the failures.
Native He kind of glossed over the failures.
'Gloss over' captures the whole move of skating past something awkward in two words.
Pattern: gloss over something
In use
- The report glossed over the company's recent financial problems, focusing instead on future plans.work
- In my opinion, politicians sometimes gloss over important issues during debates, choosing to highlight only their achievements.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ He glossed over about the mistakes.
✓ He glossed over the mistakes.
'Gloss over' takes the object directly — no 'about'.
Common collocations
gloss over + problem— the details, the issue, the problems, quickly
Don't confuse it
Unlike simply ignoring something, 'gloss over' means you do mention it, but you don't give it the attention it deserves. It often implies a deliberate attempt to make something negative seem less important.