irrigate

verb

ir·​ri·​gate ˈir-ə-ˌgāt How to pronounce irrigate (audio)
irrigated; irrigating

transitive verb

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
irrigator noun

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 Much of that water is used to irrigate crops, particularly alfalfa grown to feed one of the nation’s largest collections of dairy cattle. Christopher Flavelle, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 The spring and summer watering schedule, which governs how residents irrigate their lawns and landscaping during the hotter months, goes into effect on March 1 and runs through Oct. 31. Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 27 Feb. 2024 Many crops are irrigated with nutrient-rich water from SRP canals. Trilce Estrada Olvera, The Arizona Republic, 15 Feb. 2024 The estate’s gardens, which include an evergreen swath of artificial grass, are irrigated by private wells. Mark David, Robb Report, 22 Feb. 2024 Water in the ground isn’t much use for irrigating pots, but your in-ground plants will love that reservoir of rainwater when things get dry. Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2024 The Salton Sea will keep shrinking as global warming saps the Colorado River’s flows, leading to less water irrigating Imperial Valley farm fields and running off into the desert lake. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2024 Making good on the promise of Dos Rios will mean convincing the state’s farmers to occupy less land, irrigate with less water, and produce less food. Jake Bittle, WIRED, 6 Jan. 2024 Right now, the agency uses the water for things like irrigating parks and playing fields. Adam Beam, Fortune, 20 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'irrigate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin irrigatus, past participle of irrigare, from in- + rigare to water; perhaps akin to Old High German regan rain — more at rain

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of irrigate was in 1615

Dictionary Entries Near irrigate

Cite this Entry

“Irrigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irrigate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

irrigate

verb
ir·​ri·​gate ˈir-ə-ˌgāt How to pronounce irrigate (audio)
irrigated; irrigating
1
: to supply with water by artificial means
irrigate a field
irrigate crops
2
: to flush with a liquid
irrigate a wound

Medical Definition

irrigate

transitive verb
ir·​ri·​gate ˈir-ə-ˌgāt How to pronounce irrigate (audio)
irrigated; irrigating
: 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
irrigation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on irrigate

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