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 Avoid irrigating between 4 pm and 4 am to give your grass a chance to dry out. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2024 That means mow your grass at the proper height for your species, and fertilize and irrigate correctly. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2024 The property has raised garden beds and an orchard, both irrigated, a chicken coop, a pool, a bocce court, an outdoor kitchen, a cabin, and a sauna; vineyards and beaches are nearby and Santa Barbara is 40 minutes south. The Week Staff, theweek, 6 Mar. 2024 And when the new Turkish dam projects are completed in the next few years, as much as 1.2 million additional hectares inside Turkey will be irrigated—an eightfold increase from today. Mukad Al Jabbari, Foreign Affairs, 23 Aug. 2015 See all Example Sentences for irrigate 

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 4 Oct. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!