# grease the wheels

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/grease-the-wheels
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To create conditions likely to produce or hasten favorable future developments.

## Examples

- A small gift can help grease the wheels of a difficult negotiation.
- You should send a thank-you note to grease the wheels for your next request.
- The manager offered extra bonuses to the team to grease the wheels before the big project launch.
- The diplomat organized a private dinner for both leaders to grease the wheels before the official peace talks began the next morning.
- Hiring a local consultant helped grease the wheels when the company tried to open its first office in a foreign country.
- By offering generous concessions to the local authorities, the developers sought to grease the wheels for the approval of their ambitious urban renewal project.

## Origin

From the mid-19th century, a metaphor portraying human socioeconomic interaction as the movement of machinery. The idiom posits that a process or system may be facilitated by lubricating its components, much as one might apply grease to a literal wheel to ensure its rotation. The concept of the lubrication payment and the social lubricant operate on the same mechanical premise.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.