water down
verb
watered down; watering down; waters down
: to reduce or temper the force or effectiveness of
watered down the plan
Examples of water down in a Sentence
watered down the cocktails while jacking up their prices
Recent Examples on the Web
This tournament is so watered down because of FIFA’s decision to expand the field from 32 to 48 teams that this will be the first World Cup not to have an opening round Group of Death.
—
Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 10 June 2026
Carefully pour 3/4 cup coconut milk and 1 1/4 cups water down the side of the skillet and give the pan a shake to submerge the rice.
—Emily Weinstein, Twin Cities, 4 June 2026
By then, his sentence got watered down by Epstein’s lawyers.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026
Many watered down those authorities.
—Rob Stein, NPR, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for water down
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.
Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 10 June 2026
Carefully pour 3/4 cup coconut milk and 1 1/4 cups water down the side of the skillet and give the pan a shake to submerge the rice.
—Emily Weinstein, Twin Cities, 4 June 2026
By then, his sentence got watered down by Epstein’s lawyers.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026
Many watered down those authorities.
—Rob Stein, NPR, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for water down
Cite this Entry
“Water down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20down. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
