irrigate

verb

ir·​ri·​gate ˈir-ə-ˌgāt 

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

ˈir-ə-ˌgā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• rinse
• wash
• flush

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

The Amu Darya was a primary source of water for the Aral Sea, which has largely dried up due to the diversion of its two main rivers (the Amu Darya and Syr Darya) to irrigate Soviet-era cotton fields. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2025

Whatever irrigates the imagination and allows the soul to exhale. —James Parker, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025

Beyond the broad concrete steps that traverse the water-friendly (and automatically irrigated) xeriscaped front yard and through the lime-green door that animates the charcoal exterior cladding hides a small courtyard open to the sky, a classic feature in an Eichler home. —Mark David, Robb Report, 29 Aug. 2025

If soils have been dry or inadequately irrigated, consider harvesting nearly ripe fruit before rainstorm events to avoid cracking. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2025

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

Rhymes for irrigate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Kids Definition

irrigate

verb

ir·​ri·​gate ˈir-ə-ˌgāt 

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 

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

ˌir-ə-ˈgā-shən 

noun