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

But Reeves and Starmer faced criticism for some of their fiscal policies, such as increasing National Insurance — a kind of tax on employment — for businesses, and watering down welfare reforms to appease backbench lawmakers. — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 21 July 2026

At the same time, rising gasoline and power costs have watered down the party’s stance against fossil fuels. — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 21 July 2026

The second problem is their plan lets Congress water down any commission recommendations. — Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

During their 2022 field season, the researchers observed that during heavy rainfall, corridors in the structure may have channeled water down an interior staircase into the artificial cave. — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 17 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