soften up: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  generalneutralinformal
  • To prepare someone emotionally or mentally to accept persuasion, a proposal, or a request; to make more amenable or receptive.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Before making the big request, she softened up her boss with compliments and small favors.

    Antes de hacer la gran petición, ella preparó a su jefe con cumplidos y pequeños favores.

  • We need to soften him up first; otherwise, he won’t agree to the terms of the deal.

    Necesitamos prepararlo primero; de lo contrario, no aceptará los términos del acuerdo.

  • They softened up the audience with some light jokes before introducing the serious topic.

    Prepararon al público con algunas bromas ligeras antes de presentar el tema serio.

• 2.

  generalinformalcolloquial
  • To become more willing to comply with sexual advances or to yield to intimate persuasion.

  Examples

  Beta

  • He tried to soften her up with romantic gestures before asking her out on a date.

    Él intentó ablandarla con gestos románticos antes de invitarla a salir.

  • She softened up after a few drinks and started to respond positively to his advances.

    Ella se ablandó después de unas copas y comenzó a responder positivamente a sus avances.

  • The couple spent the evening trying to soften each other up, rekindling their old affection.

    La pareja pasó la noche tratando de ablandarse mutuamente, reavivando su antiguo afecto.

• 3.

  generalmilitaryneutral
  • To weaken enemy defenses, positions, or will to resist through preliminary bombardment, air strikes, artillery fire, or other preparatory attacks.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Before the infantry advanced, artillery fire was used to soften up the enemy positions.

    Antes de que la infantería avanzara, se usó fuego de artillería para debilitar las posiciones enemigas.

  • The air strikes softened up the fortifications, making it easier for ground troops to attack.

    Los ataques aéreos debilitaron las fortificaciones, facilitando el ataque de las tropas terrestres.

  • They planned to soften up the opposition with a series of preliminary bombings.

    Planearon debilitar a la oposición con una serie de bombardeos preliminares.

• 4.

  generalformalpoliticalmilitary
  • To undermine morale, cohesion, or resistance by psychological means such as propaganda, deception, or sustained pressure.

  Examples

  Beta

  • The propaganda campaign was designed to soften up the public’s resistance to the new law.

    La campaña de propaganda fue diseñada para minar la resistencia del público a la nueva ley.

  • Continuous criticism was used to soften up the opposition party before the elections.

    La crítica continua se usó para minar al partido opositor antes de las elecciones.

  • The company tried to soften up its competitors by spreading rumors about their products.

    La empresa intentó debilitar a sus competidores difundiendo rumores sobre sus productos.

• 5.

  generalneutral
  • To make something physically softer, more pliable, or easier to chew or handle (literal sense).

  Examples

  Beta

  • To make the steak more tender, she softened it up by marinating it overnight in wine.

    Para que el filete fuera más tierno, ella lo ablandó marinándolo toda la noche en vino.

  • The dough needs to be softened up before rolling it out for the pie crust.

    La masa necesita ser ablandada antes de extenderla para la corteza del pastel.

  • He softened up the leather using special oils to make it more flexible for crafting.

    Él ablandó el cuero usando aceites especiales para hacerlo más flexible para la artesanía.

  • The bread was softened up by warming it gently in the oven before serving.

    El pan se ablandó calentándolo suavemente en el horno antes de servir.