as in to rinse
to pour liquid over or through in order to cleanse if you get the chemical in your eye, irrigate the eye thoroughly with water

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of irrigate In addition to water that irrigated the crops, water supply was raised from the Nile and its waterways by means of the shaduf, a levering device with a long pole, until after the pharaonic period when the Persian Wheel or saqia arrived, typically turned by a pair of oxen. Vanessa Taylor, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025 After overseeding, irrigate 3 to 4 times a day for the first 7 to 10 days or until the seed germinates. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Sep. 2025 So the creekbed was designed to move the water across the front yard and guide it down to the street; any residual water can irrigate the plants. Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025 Whatever irrigates the imagination and allows the soul to exhale. James Parker, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for irrigate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irrigate
Verb
  • Turn the drain on to let the blade cut the ice and have the baking soda run through the system before rinsing the drain with cold water.
    Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2025
  • When the wafer is rinsed, these clumps redeposit onto the surface, causing the defects.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Dry clean or wash the rest of your clothing and linens, making sure to use hot water in the washer and high heat in the dryer.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
  • The restaurant also had health hazards such as old food residue on equipment and employees not washing their hands properly with soap, city officials said.
    Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • As the migrants boarded, a man hoisted one of the passengers in the air, a fussing 8-month-old baby whose face was flushed red from the heat.
    Daniel Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 6 Nov. 2025
  • The equipment is then flushed clean with hot water to prepare for the next customer.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 5 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Irrigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irrigate. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

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