water down

verb

watered down; watering down; waters down

transitive verb

: to reduce or temper the force or effectiveness of

watered down the plan

watered-down

ˈwȯ-tərd-ˈdau̇n 

ˈwä-

adjective

Synonyms of water down

• dilute
• load
• dirty
• cut
• pollute
• poison
• infect

Examples of water down in a Sentence

watered down the cocktails while jacking up their prices

Recent Examples on the Web

Bills similar to several of the ones signed this year failed to pass the Legislature or were watered down last year. — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

Davis said the operators of Oroville have asked River Partners whether the restoration at Dos Rios Norte could allow the dam to send more water down the Feather. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026

Without the winds, warm water in the east begins to flow back and eventually occupies much of the equatorial waters down to about 300 meters from the coast of South America to the middle of the Pacific. — Steven Paton, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026

In August, media reported that Slovenia forced the EU to water down a statement condemning the Israeli settlements, drawing criticism at home and praise from Israeli officials. — ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for water down

• chinatown
• tumbledown
• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown