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

Last week, lawmakers voted to water down the president’s powers, including barring him from leading a political party, a decision that will now go to a national referendum. — semafor.com, 8 July 2026

And dehydration can water down performance on the pitch, so to speak. — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026

Because a lot of the wonderful stuff that was passed during that '63, '64 year in Congress, including the Civil Rights bill, they're being watered down for various reasons. — Lynne Sullivan, The Providence Journal, 2 July 2026

Critics argue the language was watered down during negotiations and intense lobbying from the platforms, reducing its impact on the biggest players. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 29 June 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