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.
The governor’s office did not respond to IndyStar’s inquiry on the number of Hoosiers submitting comments requesting IDEM to not water down existing regulations. Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 22 July 2025 But this commitment is now under threat, as OpenAI pursues a restructuring that would remove caps on investor profits and water down its obligations to its charitable mission. Jacob Hilton, Time, 22 July 2025 Climate change is melting ice at the poles and sending water down to the equator, slowing the rotation down. Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 22 July 2025 Until now, advertising creative has been constrained by time, budget, and scale, forcing the 'big idea' to often be watered down by the realities of production. Kristen M. O’Hara, Forbes.com, 8 July 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Water down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20down. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.

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