Definition

Verb: * To conceal, downplay, or make (something negative, such as a mistake, fault, or problem) appear less serious or more acceptable than it really is.

Usage

This verb is used when someone attempts to hide or minimize a flaw, error, or unpleasant fact. It often implies a deliberate, and sometimes superficial, effort to avoid blame or negative consequences. It is typically followed by the object being concealed.

Examples

• The politician tried to sleek over the details of the scandal during the interview.
• Don't sleek over your role in the project's failure; we need to understand what happened.
• The annual report seemed to sleek over the company's recent financial losses.

Advanced Usage

• The phrasal verb is often used in a figurative sense, comparing the act of hiding a fault to making a surface smooth and shiny to distract from what is underneath.
• It can be used in both personal contexts (hiding one's own mistakes) and impersonal contexts (an organization downplaying a problem).

Variants and Related Words

• Sleek (Adjective): Smooth, glossy, and elegant in appearance. (e.g., ). The phrasal verb "sleek over" derives from this idea of making something superficially smooth.
• Gloss over (Phrasal Verb): A very common synonym with identical meaning and usage.

Synonyms

• Gloss over
• Whitewash
• Cover up
• Downplay
• Minimize

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Brush aside/off: To dismiss or treat as unimportant. (Focuses on dismissal rather than concealment).
  • He brushed aside concerns about the deadline.
• Smooth over: To make problems or disagreements less serious and easier to manage, often by calming people. (Focuses on resolving tension rather than hiding facts).
  • She smoothed over the argument between the two departments.

Related Idioms

• Sweep something under the rug: To hide a problem or unpleasant situation in the hope it will be forgotten. This idiom implies a more complete and secretive concealment than "sleek over."
  • The company was accused of sweeping safety violations under the rug.

Verb

1. cover up a misdemeanor, fault, or error
   • Let's not whitewash the crimes of Stalin
   • She tried to gloss over her mistakes