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

One All-Star phenomenon in the NBA’s Dunk Contest unarguably has been watered down due to the fact that simply the game’s stars don’t participate. — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2026

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

Dress the salad right before serving to ensure the cucumbers and melon don’t water down the vinaigrette’s flavor. — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 8 July 2026

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