soften up
English
Pronunciation
Audio (AU): (file)
Verb
soften up (third-person singular simple present softens up, present participle softening up, simple past and past participle softened up)
- To make softer.
- (by extension, idiomatic) To appease someone in order to make them more receptive to an idea or proposal.
- To become less committed to something.
- 1994, J.A. Jance, Death of a Snowbird:
- That was what Agnes thought at two o'clock in the afternoon, but by evening she had softened up some.
Synonyms
- (to appease someone): to butter up