iron out

verb

ironed out; ironing out; irons out
Synonyms of iron outnext

transitive verb

1
: to make smooth or flat by or as if by pressing
2
: to resolve or work out a solution to
ironed out their differences

Examples of iron out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jalen Jeffries, a 23-year-old from Tampa, said the first-day ticket issues were ironed out for fans on the second and final day. — Isabel Rivera, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026 The two sides appeared to still be ironing out their lines of communication through the process. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 And by the time the rest of us can afford an Nvidia machine — Nvidia says Spark is a family of products with lower-cost versions in the works — perhaps early growing pains will be ironed out. — Sean Hollister, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026 The cuts are being ironed out and officials predict the whittling won't be as severe as what's been suggested in earlier proposals. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for iron out

Word History

First Known Use

1753, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of iron out was in 1753

Rhymes for iron out

See All Rhymes for iron out

Browse Nearby Words

iron-ore cement
iron out
iron out the wrinkles
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Iron out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/iron%20out. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

iron out

verb
1
: to make smooth or flat by or as if by ironing
2
: to work out a solution to
ironed out their differences

More from Merriam-Webster on iron out

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for iron out

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All