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
The waffle side, which was originally a little rougher, softened up a bit post-wash.
—
Kathleen Felton, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Sep. 2024
The market has already been softened up a bit by the belief that the job market is slowing .
—Bob Pisani, CNBC, 6 Sep. 2024
Regardless, things are going to soften up in June as you get set free in the direction of safety and clarity.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Sep. 2024
Then, apply that paste directly to the baking sheet.
Step 5: Behar recommends letting this sit for at least 15-20 minutes to soften up the debris and make scrubbing easier.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2024
This was the outcome Democrats had hoped to avoid by foregoing a competitive primary process: softening up Biden for Trump and not ending up with a new and improved standard-bearer.
—W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 July 2024
Sanctions can play a useful role in preparing the ground for a military intervention by softening up the regime and demonstrating that the intervening country has exhausted all options except force.
—James Dobbins, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2019
The weather is expected to cool down slightly for the second round Friday and the course could see some rainfall over the weekend, which would soften up the course and potentially produce some more birdies.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2024
But the Florida Panthers’ 35-year-old has also softened up his approach a bit over the past couple years and adapted a little more of an open, free mentality.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Feb. 2024
Kathleen Felton, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Sep. 2024
The market has already been softened up a bit by the belief that the job market is slowing .
—Bob Pisani, CNBC, 6 Sep. 2024
Regardless, things are going to soften up in June as you get set free in the direction of safety and clarity.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Sep. 2024
Then, apply that paste directly to the baking sheet.
Step 5: Behar recommends letting this sit for at least 15-20 minutes to soften up the debris and make scrubbing easier.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2024
This was the outcome Democrats had hoped to avoid by foregoing a competitive primary process: softening up Biden for Trump and not ending up with a new and improved standard-bearer.
—W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 July 2024
Sanctions can play a useful role in preparing the ground for a military intervention by softening up the regime and demonstrating that the intervening country has exhausted all options except force.
—James Dobbins, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2019
The weather is expected to cool down slightly for the second round Friday and the course could see some rainfall over the weekend, which would soften up the course and potentially produce some more birdies.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2024
But the Florida Panthers’ 35-year-old has also softened up his approach a bit over the past couple years and adapted a little more of an open, free mentality.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'soften up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near soften up
Cite this Entry
“Soften up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soften%20up. Accessed 21 Sep. 2024.
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