smoothing

Verb

smooth (third-person singular simple present smooths, present participle smoothing, simple past and past participle smoothed)

1. (transitive) To make smooth or even.
   • She smooths her skirt, looking as composed and ladylike as possible.1961, William Gibson, The Miracle Worker, →ISBN, page 37

   Synonyms:

   smoothen

2. (transitive) To reduce to a particular shape or form by pressure; to press, to flatten.
   • to smooth cloth with a smoothing iron
3. (transitive) To make straightforward or easy.
   • Caracas can be a tough place but the tremendously good-natured caraqueños smoothed my passage every step of the way.2007, Beth Kohn, Lonely Planet Venezuela, page 379
4. (transitive) To calm or palliate.
   • to smooth a person's temper
5. (image processing, digital audio) To capture important patterns in the data, while leaving out noise.
   • […] the 7-month moving averages provide better smoothing of the data in this case than do the 3-month moving averages.1999, Murray R. Spiegel, Larry J. Stephens, Schaum’s Outline of Theory and Problems of Statistics, →ISBN, page 457
6. (West-Country) To stroke; especially to stroke an animal's fur.
   • Can I smooth your cat?

See all 27 meanings of smooth