irrigate

verb

ir·ri·gate | \ ˈir-ə-ˌgāt

irrigated; irrigating

Definition of irrigate

1 : wet, moisten: such as

a : to supply (land, crops, etc.) with water by artificial means irrigating the cotton plants irrigates 20 acres of farmland

b : to flush (a body part) with a stream of liquid irrigate the wound with saline solution the eye was irrigated following chemical exposure

2 : to refresh as if by watering

intransitive verb

: to practice irrigation A tensiometer (soil moisture probe), available at any garden center, helps take the guesswork out of irrigating. — The Benicia (California) Herald

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Examples of irrigate in a Sentence

The surgeon irrigated the wound. if you get the chemical in your eye, irrigate the eye thoroughly with water

Recent Examples on the Web

Several foodborne illness outbreaks have been tied to pathogens in the water used to irrigate crops. — Jesse Newman, WSJ, "Regulators Tie Tainted Romaine Lettuce to California," 26 Nov. 2018 Ian Cornell, a spokesman for the project, said the area's parks and street landscaping will be irrigated with recycled water. — Ryan Sabalow, Dale Kasler And Tony Bizjak, sacbee, "They are building 11,000 new homes in Folsom. But will there be enough water?," 18 June 2018 The Hoover Dam's first goal was always to help irrigate farmland, with hydroelectricity as a secondary concern to help pay for the project, which was eventually paid off in 1987. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "The Hoover Dam Changed America—And It Might Do It Again," 27 July 2018 Edible plants may be irrigated any day as needed, under Sacramento’s new water restrictions. — Debbie Arrington, sacbee, "Here's why new gardeners should get 'training wheels' and skip the beefsteaks | The Sacramento Bee," 23 Mar. 2018 To support so many large cities, the Maya would have had to modify the landscape in more drastic ways than just clearing some trees; irrigating fields or draining wetlands would be essential. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "What 61,000 hidden structures reveal about Maya civilization," 28 Sep. 2018 Opium poppies must be irrigated, well-fertilized, must get regular applications of pesticides. — Mark Stevenson, Fox News, "Mexico opium poppy growers see price drop, turn to marijuana," 22 June 2018 Mormon pioneers later used the canals to irrigate their crops in the desert. — Sonja Haller, azcentral, "Ultimate Arizona bucket list: 25 things to do in Mesa," 18 Feb. 2015 Farming on a large scale in California involves a caste system: Off-site landowners hire Mexican families to irrigate, fumigate, pick, and prune to generate profits. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "The Couple Who Turned a California Desert Into a Multi-Billion Dollar Snack Empire," 6 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'irrigate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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irrigation efficiency

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Time Traveler for irrigate

The first known use of irrigate was in 1615

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More Definitions for irrigate

irrigate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of irrigate

: to supply (something, such as land) with water by using artificial means (such as pipes)

medical : to clean (a wound or a part of the body) with flowing liquid (such as water)

See the full definition for irrigate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

irrigate

verb

ir·ri·gate | \ ˈir-ə-ˌgāt

irrigated; irrigating

Kids Definition of irrigate

1 : to supply (as land) with water by artificial means irrigate crops

2 : to clean with a flow of liquid irrigate a wound

irrigate

transitive verb

ir·ri·gate | \ ˈir-ə-ˌgāt

irrigated; irrigating

Medical Definition of irrigate

: to flush (a body part) with a stream of liquid irrigate the wound with saline to remove debris the eye was irrigated for 10 minutes following chemical exposure