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 adjective

Examples of water down in a Sentence

watered down the cocktails while jacking up their prices
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Leaders who’ve already watered down new investments in health care and special education while scrapping income tax relief for middle class families are getting frustrated. Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 27 June 2025 Yet strangely, the killer robot girl who shimmied and stabbed her way into our hearts is defanged and watered down in her return. Brian Truitt, USA Today, 26 June 2025 The moisture that has already been absorbed by the soil will pull the additional water down more quickly to the roots. Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 25 June 2025 But the moratorium on state AI laws did not have unanimous Republican support and has reportedly been watered down in an effort to push it toward passage. ArsTechnica, 23 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for water down

Word History

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of water down was in 1811

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Cite this Entry

“Water down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20down. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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