irrigate

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 In land this fertile and well-irrigated, the jungle grows back quickly. — National Geographic, "Logging is corrupting these islands. One village fights back—and wins.," 3 Jan. 2020 The woman continued to irrigate her eye and take medication. — Michael Cabanatuan, SFChronicle.com, "California trail runner ends up with infectious worms in her eye," 8 Nov. 2019 But the canals worked just as well to irrigate poppies - which were much more profitable to grow. — Craig Whitlock, Anchorage Daily News, "In confidential documents, U.S. officials said almost everything they did to end opium farming in Afghanistan backfired," 9 Dec. 2019 The mighty Columbia River, which irrigates much of wine country, is predicted to be a stable water supply for many years to come, Henick-Smith said. — Washington Post, "From modest beginnings, Washington now a force in wine world," 27 Nov. 2019 The Columbia River, which irrigates much of wine country, is predicted to be a stable water supply for many years to come, Henick-Smith said. — Nicholas K. Geranios, SFChronicle.com, "From modest beginnings, Washington now a force in wine world," 27 Nov. 2019 No one would bat an eye if six farmers sought permits to irrigate 500 acres each. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, "Real World Economics: Lessons seen in ill-fated water-rail plan," 9 Nov. 2019 There's also the million-gallon water tank that allows museum staff to irrigate a large area in case of a fire, Lapin said. — Amir Vera, CNN, "A wildfire is getting close to the Getty Museum. Here's why they're not moving the art," 28 Oct. 2019 Tillamook Row also has three rain-catching cisterns to irrigate the community garden and much of the property's drought-resistant landscaping year-round. — oregonlive, "Tour old, new zero-energy homes that make more power than they use," 7 Oct. 2019

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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Dictionary Entries near irrigate

irrigation efficiency

Statistics for irrigate

Last Updated

9 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Irrigate.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irrigate. Accessed 24 January 2020.

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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

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