soften up

British  

verb

1. to make or become soft

2. (tr) to weaken (an enemy's defences) by shelling, bombing, etc

3. (tr) to weaken the resistance of (a person) by persuasive talk, advances, etc

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soften up Idioms  

1. Reduce resistance, as in His sales motto was: a fine lunch and a few drinks often will soften up a prospective customer. This expression transfers lessening of physical hardness to lessening mental resistance. It was first used, however, in World War II, where it meant “reduce the enemy's defenses by preliminary bombing.” [c. 1940]

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Example Sentences

The scariest thing for the rest of the NFL is that these Seahawks might not soften up anytime soon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

That could be because UnitedHealth did not actually soften up.

From Slate • May 14, 2025

“Sunny” was never a family-friendly show, and from what McElhenney and Brunson tease about its FXX-appropriate response to this “Abbott Elementary” entry, don’t expect it to soften up for the under-21 crowd.

From Salon • Jan. 8, 2025

His real job was to soften up the world’s richest market, the United States, to embrace soccer.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2022

Ms. Washington gave me a minute to soften up and give in, because she didn’t know about my heart and its resolution, and that she was dealing with a mighty and unbending will.

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan

Related Words

• dominate
• impress
• inspire
• overrule
• persuade