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# soften

«soften» in Mova's school dictionary: **to become softer or to make something softer («soften the…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (soften, softens, softened, softening)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To soften means to become softer or to make something softer («soften the butter»). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/soften/#m1)

2) To soften means to become or make something gentler, kinder or less strong («soften the blow», «her face softened»). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/soften/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In science and cooking, heat softens butter, chocolate and wax; water softens clay and dry bread. In everyday life and stories people soften their voice or words to be kind, and an angry face softens when someone calms down. Phrases: «soften the blow», «soften up», «softened butter».

### examples

- Leave the butter out to soften before baking. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/soften/#x1)
- The sun softened the chocolate in my pocket. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/soften/#x2)
- Her face softened when she saw the kitten. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/soften/#x3)
- Soak the beans to soften them. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/soften/#x4)
- Try to soften your voice when you speak to the baby. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/soften/#x5)
- Dad softened the bad news with a hug. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/soften/#x6)
- Heat softens the wax so you can shape it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/soften/#x7)
- The ice cream softened quickly on the warm plate. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/soften/#x8)
- The eyes of women brightened and softened when they looked at me. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/soften/#x9)

### note

The t is silent: SOF-en. Regular verb: «softened». Opposite: «harden». Related: «soft», «softener» (fabric softener).

### In the corpora

- [Even sugar-free fizzy drinks are acidic and can soften enamel; water and milk are the safest drinks for teeth.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/352-teeth-enamel-sugar-holes-brushing-and-the-dentist/13/)
- [Acid softens tooth enamel for a short time, so it is better to wait a while after a fizzy drink before brushing.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/15-acids-in-the-kitchen/13/)
- [Bread goes stale as its starch slowly lines up and squeezes out water; warming it in the oven softens it for a while.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/21-bread-rising-yeast-at-work/16/)
- [Many plastics soften when heated, because heat lets the chains move; burning plastic gives off poisonous fumes.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/29-plastics-useful-stubborn/13/)
- [Kind words soften the truth: wrinkles become "laughter lines" and a balding man is "thinning on top".](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/9-age-looks-and-size/1/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «soften» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/soften/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.