sweetened; sweetening
ˈswē-tᵊn-iŋ 
ˈswēt-niŋ
1
: to make sweet
2
: to soften the mood or attitude of
3
: to make less painful or trying
4
: to free from a harmful or undesirable quality or substance
especially
: to remove sulfur compounds from
sweeten natural gas
5
: to make more valuable or attractive
sweeten the deal
: such as
a
: to increase (a pot not won on the previous deal) by anteing prior to another deal
b
: to place additional securities as collateral for (a loan)
: to become sweet
sweet·en·er
-t(ᵊ)nə(r)
plural -s
: one that sweetens
a low-calorie liquid sweetener—
Time
Timeurges concessions on minor fiscal questions as sweeteners—Times Literary Supplement
Times Literary SupplementExamples of sweeten in a Sentence
Verb
He sweetened his cereal a little.
He sweetened the deal with a large signing bonus.
Recent Examples on the Web
ABC News, 16 June 2026
Boba, or bubble tea, is sweetened tea with milk, ice, and those signature chewy tapioca pearls.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
Would Drury consider adding another asset to sweeten the deal?
—Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 12 June 2026
Sparkling water's primary benefit for blood sugar comes from choosing it instead of sugary or artificially sweetened sodas.
—Lindsay Curtis, Verywell Health, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for sweeten
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Verb
Some Cuban Americans drink a version of mate that's sweetened and carbonated.
—ABC News, 16 June 2026
Boba, or bubble tea, is sweetened tea with milk, ice, and those signature chewy tapioca pearls.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
Would Drury consider adding another asset to sweeten the deal?
—Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 12 June 2026
Sparkling water's primary benefit for blood sugar comes from choosing it instead of sugary or artificially sweetened sodas.
—Lindsay Curtis, Verywell Health, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for sweeten
Cite this Entry
“Sweeten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweeten. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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