soften up

phrasal verb

softened up; softening up; softens up

1

: to treat (someone) very well or kindly in order to make that person more likely to help one, give one something, etc.

He tried to soften her up by buying her flowers.

2

: to weaken (an enemy) through military attacks

They used artillery to soften up the enemy's defenses before launching a full-scale attack.

Examples of soften up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Since the end of the era of Richard Nixon– a president who, in secret, tried to pressure then-Fed chief Arthur Burns to soften up on policy ahead of the 1972 election – his successors have all supported an independent Fed so that the central bank can keep the economy on an even keel. —Ron Insana, CNBC, 26 June 2025

After water, in some fields the engineers turn to injecting steam, which further softens up stubborn crude oil. —Christopher Helman, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

But these 100% French linen sheets softened up dramatically. —Kathleen Felton, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 June 2025

There might be some players hoping that Friday evening’s rain softens up the course enough to make things a little easier. —Justin Ray, New York Times, 14 June 2025

In the end, Tess softens up and gets Anna’s struggles (and vice versa). —Lisa Stardust, People.com, 11 May 2025

Witkoff’s apparent favorability toward negotiations was cited by regional sources speaking to an Israeli newspaper as one reason Khamenei softened up and wrote back to Trump. —Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2025

Plop it onto wicker and rattan seating to soften up their edges a little. —Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 26 Mar. 2025

The party campaign organization dedicated to electing Republicans and defeating Democrats in U.S. House races has started messaging efforts aimed at softening up Moskowitz. —Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2025

Rhymes for soften up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup