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
Examples of sweeten in a Sentence
He sweetened his cereal a little.
He sweetened the deal with a large signing bonus.
Recent Examples on the Web
Stealing him away from the Padres, the Dodgers' biggest rival in the National League West, would simply sweeten the deal for them.
—
Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
To sweeten the deal, the mattress is made without ozone depleters, mercury, lead, and more harmful substances.
—Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 1 Dec. 2025
The company typically sweetens the deal by including a free sheet set, a mattress protector and two cooling pillows, which can add up to $599 in value to your purchase.
—Marina Johnson, IndyStar, 1 Dec. 2025
Duncan Hines lists cocoa among its ingredients, and, notably, the mix is sweetened with sugar rather than corn syrup, which is the sole sweetener in some other mixes.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sweeten
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Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
To sweeten the deal, the mattress is made without ozone depleters, mercury, lead, and more harmful substances.
—Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 1 Dec. 2025
The company typically sweetens the deal by including a free sheet set, a mattress protector and two cooling pillows, which can add up to $599 in value to your purchase.
—Marina Johnson, IndyStar, 1 Dec. 2025
Duncan Hines lists cocoa among its ingredients, and, notably, the mix is sweetened with sugar rather than corn syrup, which is the sole sweetener in some other mixes.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sweeten
Cite this Entry
“Sweeten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweeten. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
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