sweet
♦ sweet /sw'iːt/ (sweeter sweetest sweets)
1 [ADJ]
Sweet food and drink contains a lot of sugar.
...a mug of sweet tea...
If the sauce seems too sweet, add a dash of red wine vinegar.
● sweetness [N-UNCOUNT]
Florida oranges have a natural sweetness.
2 [N-COUNT]
Sweets are small sweet things such as toffees, chocolates, and mints. (BRIT; in AM, use candy)
3 [N-VAR]
A sweet is something sweet, such as fruit or a pudding, that you eat at the end of a meal, especially in a restaurant. (BRIT; in AM, use dessert)
The sweet was a mousse flavoured with whisky.
= dessert
4 [ADJ]
A sweet smell is a pleasant one, for example the smell of a flower.
She'd baked some bread which made the air smell sweet.
5 [ADJ]
If you describe something such as air or water as sweet, you mean that it smells or tastes pleasantly fresh and clean.
I gulped a breath of sweet air.
6 [ADJ]
A sweet sound is pleasant, smooth, and gentle.
Her voice was as soft and sweet as a young girl's.
...the sweet sounds of Mozart.
● sweetly [ADV] usu ADV with v
He sang much more sweetly than he has before.
7 [ADJ]
If you describe something as sweet, you mean that it gives you great pleasure and satisfaction. (WRITTEN)
There are few things quite as sweet as revenge.
≠ bitter
8 [ADJ]
If you describe someone as sweet, you mean that they are pleasant, kind, and gentle towards other people.
How sweet of you to think of me!
● sweetly [ADV] usu ADV with v
I just smiled sweetly and said no.
9 [ADJ]
If you describe a small person or thing as sweet, you mean that they are attractive in a simple or unsophisticated way. (INFORMAL)
...a sweet little baby girl...
The house was really sweet.
= cute
10
see also sweetly, sweetness
11
a sweet tooth: see toothboiled sweet (boiled sweets)
[N-COUNT]
Boiled sweets are hard sweets that are made from boiled sugar. (BRIT; in AM, use hard candy)sweet and sour
also sweet-and-sour
[ADJ] ADJ n
Sweet and sour is used to describe Chinese food that contains both a sweet flavour and something sharp or sour such as lemon or vinegar.sweet noth|ings
[N-PLURAL]
If someone whispers sweet nothings to you, they quietly say nice, loving, and flattering things to you.sweet pea (sweet peas)
also sweetpea
[N-COUNT]
A sweet pea is a climbing plant which has delicate, sweet-smelling flowers.sweet pep|per (sweet peppers)
[N-COUNT]
A sweet pepper is a hollow green, red, or yellow vegetable.
= capsicumsweet po|ta|to (sweet potatoes)
[N-VAR]
Sweet potatoes are vegetables that look like large ordinary potatoes but taste sweet. They have pinkish-brown skins and yellow flesh.sweet shop (sweet shops)
also sweetshop
[N-COUNT] oft the N
A sweet shop is a small shop that sells sweets and cigarettes, and sometimes newspapers and magazines. (BRIT; in AM, use candy store)sweet talk (sweet talks sweet talking sweet talked)
also sweet-talk
[VERB] V n into -ing/n, V n
If you sweet talk someone, you talk to them very nicely so that they will do what you want.
She could always sweet-talk Pamela into letting her stay up late...
He even tried to sweet-talk the policewoman who arrested him.
1 [ADJ]
Sweet food and drink contains a lot of sugar.
...a mug of sweet tea...
If the sauce seems too sweet, add a dash of red wine vinegar.
● sweetness [N-UNCOUNT]
Florida oranges have a natural sweetness.
2 [N-COUNT]
Sweets are small sweet things such as toffees, chocolates, and mints. (BRIT; in AM, use candy)
3 [N-VAR]
A sweet is something sweet, such as fruit or a pudding, that you eat at the end of a meal, especially in a restaurant. (BRIT; in AM, use dessert)
The sweet was a mousse flavoured with whisky.
= dessert
4 [ADJ]
A sweet smell is a pleasant one, for example the smell of a flower.
She'd baked some bread which made the air smell sweet.
5 [ADJ]
If you describe something such as air or water as sweet, you mean that it smells or tastes pleasantly fresh and clean.
I gulped a breath of sweet air.
6 [ADJ]
A sweet sound is pleasant, smooth, and gentle.
Her voice was as soft and sweet as a young girl's.
...the sweet sounds of Mozart.
● sweetly [ADV] usu ADV with v
He sang much more sweetly than he has before.
7 [ADJ]
If you describe something as sweet, you mean that it gives you great pleasure and satisfaction. (WRITTEN)
There are few things quite as sweet as revenge.
≠ bitter
8 [ADJ]
If you describe someone as sweet, you mean that they are pleasant, kind, and gentle towards other people.
How sweet of you to think of me!
● sweetly [ADV] usu ADV with v
I just smiled sweetly and said no.
9 [ADJ]
If you describe a small person or thing as sweet, you mean that they are attractive in a simple or unsophisticated way. (INFORMAL)
...a sweet little baby girl...
The house was really sweet.
= cute
10
see also sweetly, sweetness
11
a sweet tooth: see toothboiled sweet (boiled sweets)
[N-COUNT]
Boiled sweets are hard sweets that are made from boiled sugar. (BRIT; in AM, use hard candy)sweet and sour
also sweet-and-sour
[ADJ] ADJ n
Sweet and sour is used to describe Chinese food that contains both a sweet flavour and something sharp or sour such as lemon or vinegar.sweet noth|ings
[N-PLURAL]
If someone whispers sweet nothings to you, they quietly say nice, loving, and flattering things to you.sweet pea (sweet peas)
also sweetpea
[N-COUNT]
A sweet pea is a climbing plant which has delicate, sweet-smelling flowers.sweet pep|per (sweet peppers)
[N-COUNT]
A sweet pepper is a hollow green, red, or yellow vegetable.
= capsicumsweet po|ta|to (sweet potatoes)
[N-VAR]
Sweet potatoes are vegetables that look like large ordinary potatoes but taste sweet. They have pinkish-brown skins and yellow flesh.sweet shop (sweet shops)
also sweetshop
[N-COUNT] oft the N
A sweet shop is a small shop that sells sweets and cigarettes, and sometimes newspapers and magazines. (BRIT; in AM, use candy store)sweet talk (sweet talks sweet talking sweet talked)
also sweet-talk
[VERB] V n into -ing/n, V n
If you sweet talk someone, you talk to them very nicely so that they will do what you want.
She could always sweet-talk Pamela into letting her stay up late...
He even tried to sweet-talk the policewoman who arrested him.