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

Tech companies are poised for a big win if Europe waters down its digital regulations overhaul and makes compliance voluntary. —Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026

This week, operators at Oroville Dam, the tallest dam in the United States, which holds back California’s second-largest reservoir, opened the spillway gates and began releasing billions of gallons of water down the massive concrete spillway into the Feather River below. —Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026

On Tuesday, Fire Chief Jaime Moore acknowledged that the report had been watered down to soften criticism of the LAFD’s leadership. —Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2026

The most recent version of the deal waters down a landmark 2021 agreement that set a minimum global corporate tax of 15%. —Fatima Hussein, Fortune, 5 Jan. 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