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
Whip up this classic candy to sweeten your holiday dessert tray.
—
Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026
The cocktail comes to us, like so many greats, from Hugo Ensslin’s 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks and the recipe most of us use is more or less the same as his—a healthy pour of Irish whiskey, with lime juice and some grenadine (pomegranate syrup) to sweeten.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2026
The Writers Guild of America West has sweetened its offer to the 110-member staff union that has been on strike since mid-February.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
Last year, Pritzker signed an onerous bill sweetening firefighter and police pensions that will cost Chicagoans tens of millions of dollars more annually without extra help from the state.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sweeten
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Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026
The cocktail comes to us, like so many greats, from Hugo Ensslin’s 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks and the recipe most of us use is more or less the same as his—a healthy pour of Irish whiskey, with lime juice and some grenadine (pomegranate syrup) to sweeten.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2026
The Writers Guild of America West has sweetened its offer to the 110-member staff union that has been on strike since mid-February.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
Last year, Pritzker signed an onerous bill sweetening firefighter and police pensions that will cost Chicagoans tens of millions of dollars more annually without extra help from the state.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 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 24 Mar. 2026.
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