sweeten
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make sweet, as by adding sugar.
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to make mild or kind; soften.
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to lessen the acridity or pungency of (a food) by prolonged cooking.
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to reduce the saltiness of (a food or dish) by diluting with water, milk, or other liquid.
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to make (the breath, room air, etc.) sweet or fresh, as with a mouthwash, spray, etc.
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(in musical recording) to add musical instruments to (an arrangement), especially strings for a lusher sound.
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Chemistry.
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to make (the stomach, soil, etc.) less acidic, as by means of certain preparations, chemicals, etc.
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to remove sulfur and its compounds from (oil or gas).
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Informal.
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to enhance the value of (loan collateral) by including additional or especially valuable securities.
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to add to the value or attractiveness of (any proposition, holding, etc.).
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to add more liquor to (an alcoholic drink).
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Poker. to add stakes to (a pot) before opening.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(also intr) to make or become sweet or sweeter
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to mollify or soften (a person)
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to make more agreeable
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(also intr) chem to free or be freed from unpleasant odours, acidic or corrosive substances, or the like
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finance to raise the value of (loan collateral) by adding more securities
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informal poker to enlarge (the pot) by adding chips
Other Word Forms
- nonsweetened adjective
- outsweeten verb (used with object)
- oversweeten verb (used with object)
- presweeten verb (used with object)
- resweeten verb
- unsweetened adjective
Etymology
Origin of sweeten
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The significantly sweetened bid from Paramount put the onus on Netflix to either raise its bid of $27.75 per share for Warner’s studio and streaming businesses but it opted to walk away instead.
From MarketWatch
On Thursday, chief executive David Ellison welcomed the Warner Bros board's decision in favour of Paramount's sweetened offer.
From BBC
The significantly sweetened bid from Paramount put the onus on Netflix to either raise its bid of $27.75 per share for Warner’s studio and streaming businesses or drop out of the bidding.
From MarketWatch
If Warner Bros. decides the Paramount bid is ultimately better, Netflix would have four days to decide whether it wants to sweeten its proposal or walk away.
From MarketWatch
Last week, Steel Dynamics and SGH submitted a sweetened offer for Australia’s BlueScope that values its equity at roughly US$11 billion, and said they wouldn’t raise it again unless a rival bidder emerges.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
