sweeten up

phrasal verb

sweetened up; sweetening up; sweetens up

informal

: to be very nice to (someone) in order to get something

He's been trying to sweeten his mother up so she'll lend him the car.

Examples of sweeten up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This local bakery is the place to go for a grab-and-go meal that can easily be toted to the beach, or for a decadent dessert to sweeten up your day. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 24 Jan. 2025

Venus enters Sagittarius that same day, sweetening up your 10th house of authority, career and public persona. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 1 Oct. 2024

This pretty purple drink had a string hibiscus flavor that was sweetened up by fresh lemon juice, topped with a violet orchid. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 June 2024

The Girl Scouts and IHOP are sweetening up the month of March. —Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024

These pastel desserts will sweeten up any Easter celebration. —Patricia S York, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2024

And just in time to sweeten up the winter season, the latest look is taking over—meet cherry mocha. —Abby Wilson, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Jan. 2024

Kim Kardashian is ready to sweeten up your V-Day look with her sexiest, most erotic — and possibly her yummiest — design yet. —Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 18 Jan. 2024

To sweeten up the meal, try adding a honey drizzle to one of our favorite cornbread recipes. —Julia Levy, Southern Living, 17 Dec. 2023

Rhymes for sweeten up

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