English Reference
Idiom idiom

sweeten up


To make sweet to the taste.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

“You should sweeten up your tea with a little honey.”

CONTEXTUAL

“The recipe is a bit bitter, so you might want to sweeten up the sauce with some sugar.”

COMPLEX

“To balance the sharp acidity of the fresh berries, the chef decided to sweeten up the dessert with a light dusting of powdered sugar.”


Related idioms1entry
  1. 01

    sweeten the pot

    To increase a wager.

Last updated August 10, 2026