wetting agent
noun
: a substance that by becoming adsorbed prevents a surface from being repellent to a wetting liquid and is used especially in mixing solids with liquids or spreading liquids on surfaces
Examples of wetting agent in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some soils resist water penetration; try a wetting agent to help moisten the soil.
—
Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 May 2026
Follow this immediately with a natural wetting agent, such as yucca extract or yucca meal, to break the water's surface tension and force moisture deep into the dry fungal mat.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 27 May 2026
How To Improve Your Soil's Moisture Retention A short-term solution for small areas or containers with hydrophobic soil is a commercial wetting agent, often called water retainers or penetrants.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026
Don’t reuse contact lens solution that’s been sitting in your case; clean the case with fresh solution at least once a week and leave it open to air dry; and never use tap water or saliva as a wetting agent.
—Holly Burns, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Miracle-Gro Houseplant Potting Mix contains perlite, sphagnum peat moss, fertilizer, a wetting agent and coir to help your indoor plants grow.
—Nora Colomer, FOXNews.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Another approach is to manage the fairy ring with fertilizers, wetting agents and careful watering.
—oregonlive, 13 May 2023
One idea is that a yawn can help distribute a protective wetting agent called surfactant in the lungs and prevent them from collapsing.
—Jennifer Walter, Discover Magazine, 29 Dec. 2020
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Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 May 2026
Follow this immediately with a natural wetting agent, such as yucca extract or yucca meal, to break the water's surface tension and force moisture deep into the dry fungal mat.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 27 May 2026
How To Improve Your Soil's Moisture Retention A short-term solution for small areas or containers with hydrophobic soil is a commercial wetting agent, often called water retainers or penetrants.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026
Don’t reuse contact lens solution that’s been sitting in your case; clean the case with fresh solution at least once a week and leave it open to air dry; and never use tap water or saliva as a wetting agent.
—Holly Burns, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Miracle-Gro Houseplant Potting Mix contains perlite, sphagnum peat moss, fertilizer, a wetting agent and coir to help your indoor plants grow.
—Nora Colomer, FOXNews.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Another approach is to manage the fairy ring with fertilizers, wetting agents and careful watering.
—oregonlive, 13 May 2023
One idea is that a yawn can help distribute a protective wetting agent called surfactant in the lungs and prevent them from collapsing.
—Jennifer Walter, Discover Magazine, 29 Dec. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Wetting agent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wetting%20agent. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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