charm offensive

British

noun

a concentrated attempt to gain favour or respectability by conspicuously cooperative or obliging behaviour

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

But the royal charm offensive by King Charles appeared to have paid off.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

The U.S. ramped up its own charm offensive.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025

And when John Swinney took over from Yousaf, he was keen to make the government far more business-friendly - bringing Kate Forbes back into the fold to front a charm offensive.

From BBC • Oct. 17, 2025

In recent weeks, both sides engaged in a charm offensive to sway shareholders, hashing out their opposing arguments publicly and conveying confidence that their clashing views would prevail.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

It gave him more time to plan his charm offensive.

From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023