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
Coke has sweetened its soda in the U.S. with high-fructose corn syrup since the 1980s, but cane sugar is a familiar product for the company as it's already used for soft drinks in markets like Mexico.
—
Alex Harring, CNBC, 23 July 2025
Trump is a noted fan of Diet Coke, a product line that is mainly sweetened with the artificial sweetener aspartame.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 22 July 2025
To sweeten the setting in Southampton, there is an assortment of chocolate bars with packaging that has Barbie-like figures wearing three-dimensional designs.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 18 July 2025
While Coca-Cola in the U.S. is typically sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup—a choice shaped by agricultural subsidies and cost considerations—many international versions of the beverage, such as Mexican Coca-Cola, use cane sugar and are considered superior by some consumers.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for sweeten
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Alex Harring, CNBC, 23 July 2025
Trump is a noted fan of Diet Coke, a product line that is mainly sweetened with the artificial sweetener aspartame.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 22 July 2025
To sweeten the setting in Southampton, there is an assortment of chocolate bars with packaging that has Barbie-like figures wearing three-dimensional designs.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 18 July 2025
While Coca-Cola in the U.S. is typically sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup—a choice shaped by agricultural subsidies and cost considerations—many international versions of the beverage, such as Mexican Coca-Cola, use cane sugar and are considered superior by some consumers.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 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 29 Jul. 2025.
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