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View synonyms for

soften up

verb

  1. to make or become soft

  2. (tr) to weaken (an enemy's defences) by shelling, bombing, etc

  3. (tr) to weaken the resistance of (a person) by persuasive talk, advances, etc

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Idioms and Phrases

Reduce resistance, as in His sales motto was: a fine lunch and a few drinks often will soften up a prospective customer. This expression transfers lessening of physical hardness to lessening mental resistance. It was first used, however, in World War II, where it meant “reduce the enemy's defenses by preliminary bombing.” [c. 1940]
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

That could be because UnitedHealth did not actually soften up.

From

“Sunny” was never a family-friendly show, and from what McElhenney and Brunson tease about its FXX-appropriate response to this “Abbott Elementary” entry, don’t expect it to soften up for the under-21 crowd.

From

Jurors previously heard testimony from two retired Army generals who investigated Abu Ghraib, and both concluded that Stefanowicz had a role in the abuse of detainees, either by directing military police to “soften up” inmates for interrogation, by using dogs to intimidate them, and by other means of mistreatment.

From

Lawyers for the plaintiffs say that issue is irrelevant, because they argue that CACI’s interrogators played a key role in creating the overall abusive environment at Abu Ghraib by encouraging military police to “soften up” detainees for questioning.

From

The silvery green foliage of white sage makes for great accents in bouquets during cooler winter months, but come spring, when the plant is starting to bloom, the leaves tend to soften up and go limp, she said, making them sad choices for arrangements.

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softening of the brainsoft-finned