Synonyms

sweeten

American

[sweet-n] / ˈswit n /

verb (used with object)

to make sweet, as by adding sugar.
to make mild or kind; soften.
to lessen the acridity or pungency of (a food) by prolonged cooking.
to reduce the saltiness of (a food or dish) by diluting with water, milk, or other liquid.
to make (the breath, room air, etc.) sweet or fresh, as with a mouthwash, spray, etc.
(in musical recording) to add musical instruments to (an arrangement), especially strings for a lusher sound.
Chemistry.
1. to make (the stomach, soil, etc.) less acidic, as by means of certain preparations, chemicals, etc.
2. to remove sulfur and its compounds from (oil or gas).
Informal.
1. to enhance the value of (loan collateral) by including additional or especially valuable securities.
2. to add to the value or attractiveness of (any proposition, holding, etc.).
to add more liquor to (an alcoholic drink).
Poker. to add stakes to (a pot) before opening.

verb (used without object)

to become sweet or sweeter.

sweeten British

/ ˈswiːtən /

verb

(also intr) to make or become sweet or sweeter
to mollify or soften (a person)
to make more agreeable
(also intr) chem to free or be freed from unpleasant odours, acidic or corrosive substances, or the like
finance to raise the value of (loan collateral) by adding more securities
informal poker to enlarge (the pot) by adding chips

"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

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Etymology

Origin of sweeten

First recorded in 1545–55; sweet + -en ¹

Explanation

When you sweeten something, you make it taste sweeter. To sweeten your lemonade, just add more sugar. To literally sweeten something, like your muffin recipe or a cup of tea, all you need to do is add something that tastes sweet, like honey, molasses, sugar, or even apple juice. When you figuratively sweeten something, you make it more appealing or acceptable. The phrase "sweeten the pot" or "sweeten the deal" comes from poker, in which it means to add more bets (or money) to the game.

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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.

See Examples For:

sweeten sweetens sweetened sweetening

Milk, for example, would be mixed with formaldehyde to sweeten it when it went rancid.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

According to Hunter, jury members had made up their minds before the remaining three castaways even had a shot to sweeten their chances at the final tribal council.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

Reflecting that political juggle, NextEra and Dominion are proposing to give $2.25 billion in bill credits to customers to sweeten the deal with federal and state regulators.

From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026

New, massive ships filled with amenities and private islands helped sweeten the deal.

From Barron's ● May 6, 2026

To sweeten the deal, Zimmermann promised that Mexico would get Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico as a reward.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

The Social Security Administration leaves it up to every person to make those decisions for themselves and, yes, it sweetens the pot if you claim later.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026

It may also offer them a cut of the spoils from a tolled Strait, but that hardly sweetens the foul deal for the rest of the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

The ketchup serves two purposes: It sweetens everything and acts as a binder, thickening the mixture so it can cling to the tofu pieces and season them as they roast.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 14, 2024

What to know: Kabocha’s thick almost amphibious green and white speckled skin gives way to a dry orange flesh, which sweetens when cooked.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2023

His voice sweetens sardonically ‘And we wouldn’t want that now, would we? Santa won’t be too impressed with that, will he now? No, he won’t.”

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

Artificially sweetened beverages, however, were not linked to an increased risk.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

The bottled Coca-Cola is sweetened with cane sugar, not high-fructose corn syrup, and the beef in the Steakburgers comes from cattle raised on pasture grass.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

The Cortado Cloud, a 4-ounce espresso or matcha drink sweetened with vanilla syrup and finished with a thick cream top, is exclusive to Studio City.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Serve with lightly sweetened orange-zest whipped cream — homemade or straight from the spray can.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

Normile sweetened the pot for second through fifth places and offered extraordinary breaks in the weights, giving them between twenty-two and thirty-two fewer pounds than Seabiscuit.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Paramount, which had initially bid $108 billion for the entire company, continued to circle, launching a hostile tender offer aimed directly at shareholders and continually sweetening the terms of its bid.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 16, 2026

For PSUS’s do-over listing, Ackman is sweetening the deal by giving those who participate in the fund IPO free shares in Pershing Square.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026

Netflix is offering to pay $27.75 per share in cash, sweetening its offer from the initial bid, which proposed a mix of cash and shares in the new company.

From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026

My younger neighbors, knowing this, grocery-shopped for me, sweetening my mornings with fresh milk and fruit during those long, grim days.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2025

Her handmaids filled the tub with tepid water that stank of sulfur, sweetening it with jars of bitter oil and handfuls of cmshed mint leaves.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

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