# sweeten the pot

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/sweeten-the-pot
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To increase a wager.

## Examples

- They offered a bonus to sweeten the pot.
- The company added extra vacation days to their offer to sweeten the pot for the new candidate.
- Realizing the initial bid was insufficient to secure the contract, the developers decided to sweeten the pot by including full maintenance services for the first three years.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.