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
But consumer advocates watch with dismay as some of those ideas are gutted or watered down.
—
Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 21 June 2026
These rules have already been subject to watering down proposals.
—Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
As SpaceX shows by paying stock not cash for Cursor, harboring shares that by all fundamental measures look highly inflated carries a major advantage in making acquisitions—the tie-up would water down SpaceX shareholders a lot more if its market cap weren’t on such a tear.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 19 June 2026
The bill was watered down after its sponsors, under pressure from the gambling companies and their lobbyists, struck a provision that would have banned all proposition bets.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 18 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.
Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 21 June 2026
These rules have already been subject to watering down proposals.
—Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
As SpaceX shows by paying stock not cash for Cursor, harboring shares that by all fundamental measures look highly inflated carries a major advantage in making acquisitions—the tie-up would water down SpaceX shareholders a lot more if its market cap weren’t on such a tear.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 19 June 2026
The bill was watered down after its sponsors, under pressure from the gambling companies and their lobbyists, struck a provision that would have banned all proposition bets.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 18 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 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
