water down

watered down; watering down; waters down

Definition of water down

transitive verb

: to reduce or temper the force or effectiveness of watered down the plan

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Examples of water down in a Sentence

watered down the cocktails while jacking up their prices

Recent Examples on the Web The deal also reflects increasing focus on the transition to cleaner energy in the U.S., driven by economics favoring wind and solar farms over coal -- despite President Donald Trump’s effort to water down environmental rules. — Rodrigo Orihuela, Bloomberg.com, "Iberdrola’s Avangrid Expands in U.S. With $4.3 Billion Deal," 21 Oct. 2020 The letter cited recently obtained documents revealing that over a four-month period, HHS and White House officials tried to block or water down at least 13 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs), altering at least two. — Courtney Subramanian, USA TODAY, "House panel subpoenas Azar and Redfield as lawmakers allege 'extensive' political meddling in COVID-19 policies," 22 Dec. 2020 This week, two former CDC officials, Kyle McGowan and Amanda Campbell, went public charging political interference with the agency and pressure to water down public health guidance. — NBC News, "Meet the Press - December 20, 2020," 20 Dec. 2020 For the last four years, biofuels producers have vigorously fought attempts by oil refiners and some Trump officials to water down federal requirements to blend biofuels into the fuel supply, known as the Renewable Fuel Standard. — Abby Smith, Washington Examiner, "After spending Trump years fighting Big Oil, biofuels industry rallies against electric car mandates under Biden," 9 Dec. 2020 There’s a chance that banks could use their lobbying might to delay or water down future climate finance regulations, advocates say. — Avery Ellfeldt, Scientific American, "How a Climate ‘Stress Test’ Can Foresee Collapsing Banks," 4 Dec. 2020 Because Google depends on large language models, Gebru and Mitchell expected that the company might push back against certain sections or attempt to water down their findings. — Washington Post, "Google hired Timnit Gebru to be an outspoken critic of unethical AI. Then she was fired for it.," 23 Nov. 2020 Nor does the company water down its message so as not to offend consumers, as so many do. — Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, "Opinion: Colin Kaepernick's activism moves to freezer section with Ben & Jerry's flavor," 10 Dec. 2020 Gautreaux added that the flows could send more or less water down the river and mimic the natural functions that have been broken, like trying to give habitats more time to dry out or adding more freshwater to the system. — Halle Parker | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, "After 57 years, new project to study if changing the Atchafalaya's flow improves swamp health," 20 Nov. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'water down.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

17 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Water down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20down. Accessed 18 Jan. 2021.

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