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

Adopting a psychedelic-rock aesthetic, “Casket” was another stab at optimism; Brock wanted to create something intentionally upbeat to sweeten the sour, post-pandemic mood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

In an interview the CNBC, Ackman said that this was meant to sweeten the deal for IPO investors.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 29, 2026

To sweeten the deal, Amazon is providing same-day delivery to nearly 3,000 cities, with plans to expand to 4,500 by the end of the year.

From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026

They agreed to waive the home inspection, a common tactic to help buyers sweeten their offers to sellers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026

The last time I visited my abuela, she had a big cone of piloncillo that we’d chip off into our coffee to sweeten it.

From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez

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

Ava sweetens the moment by telling her mentor that this token is something they should have shared a long time ago.

From Salon ● May 9, 2025

And I said, “Well, that sweetens the pot.”

From New York Times ● Jul. 1, 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

Prologis sweetened its takeover bid for U.K. warehouse owner Segro to nearly $19 billion, sending Segro shares higher.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Kombucha is made when a SCOBY, a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, ferments sweetened tea.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026

When he was drafted, the team gave him just a small bonus, but sweetened the deal by offering to pay for college if he ever went back to school.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026

Under the new rules, sweetened desserts will be limited to once a week, and more fruit, vegetables and wholegrains will need to be added to school dinner menus.

From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026

And she likes having the space to herself, the stillness and the calm sweetened with the subdued scent of frozen flowers.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

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

Netflix posted its results shortly after sweetening its $72 billion bid for Warner Bros.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026

“They’re sweetening the pot,” Paul Hardart, a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, said of the Ellison family.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2025

Tennis Australia is equally as bold as its American counterparts, but it does not have the same financial clout to offer the mountain of prize money and sweetening appearance fees.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 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