Definition of irrigate
irrigated
;irrigating
transitive verb
1 : wet, moisten: such asa : to supply (land, crops, etc.) with water by artificial means irrigating the cotton plants irrigates 20 acres of farmlandb : 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 of irrigate from the Web
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Once established, irrigate deeply once a week or every other week.
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Lake Okeechobee serves as South Florida’s primary back-up water supply — bolstering community well fields, irrigating sugar cane and other crops, while also helping replenish the Everglades.
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In the dry season, farmers must irrigate their poppy crops with water pumped from streams and wells, and the hoses tip off soldiers to their locations.
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Skomal and the crew of the M/V Ocearch covered the shark’s face with a towel, stuck a hose in its mouth to irrigate its gills and began attending the great white with the speed of a Formula 1 pit crew.
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.
Origin and Etymology of irrigate
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
IRRIGATE Defined for English Language Learners
irrigate
playDefinition of irrigate for English Language Learners
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: to supply (something, such as land) with water by using artificial means (such as pipes)
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medical : to clean (a wound or a part of the body) with flowing liquid (such as water)
IRRIGATE Defined for Kids
irrigate
playDefinition of irrigate for Students
irrigated
;irrigating
1 : to supply (as land) with water by artificial means irrigate crops
2 : to clean with a flow of liquid irrigate a wound
Medical Dictionary
irrigate
playMedical Definition of irrigate
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
Learn More about irrigate
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See words that rhyme with irrigate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for irrigate Spanish Central: Translation of irrigate Nglish: Translation of irrigate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of irrigate for Arabic speakers
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