as in rinses
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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Recent Examples of irrigates
Today, water from the massive lake, fed by the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, irrigates farms across the Central Valley and provides drinking water for Silicon Valley, including San Jose.
—
Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
If there’s a long delay before the next rain, run your irrigation once every two weeks or once a month, depending on the types of plants each zone irrigates.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2025
Water from the Central Valley Project irrigates roughly one-third of California agriculture, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.
—CBS News, 6 Dec. 2025
The river also irrigates more than 850,000 acres of farmland — the highest concentration of irrigated acres of any river basin in Colorado.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2025
The canal irrigates more than 108 square miles, the district said.
—Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2025
Whatever irrigates the imagination and allows the soul to exhale.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
If there’s a long delay before the next rain, run your irrigation once every two weeks or once a month, depending on the types of plants each zone irrigates.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2025
Water from the Central Valley Project irrigates roughly one-third of California agriculture, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.
—CBS News, 6 Dec. 2025
The river also irrigates more than 850,000 acres of farmland — the highest concentration of irrigated acres of any river basin in Colorado.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2025
The canal irrigates more than 108 square miles, the district said.
—Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2025
Whatever irrigates the imagination and allows the soul to exhale.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irrigates
Verb
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Plus, its self-cleaning function rinses the brushroll after each use and dumps the debris into the dirt tank.—
Sian Babish,
PEOPLE,
5 Apr. 2026
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Moisture is why LaMarita never rinses cauliflower before tucking it into the crisper.—
Randi Gollin,
Martha Stewart,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Beaches are routinely left covered in trash that washes into the ocean, degrading habitat and threatening marine animals through ingestion and entanglement.—
Letters To The Editor,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 May 2026
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Rain typically washes pollen out of the air.—
Keerti Gopal,
ArsTechnica,
8 May 2026
Verb
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This process flushes out toxic metabolic byproducts, including amyloid-beta.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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The body flushes the extra sugar out through urine — and takes a lot of hydration with it, leaving people both running to the bathroom constantly and feeling parched.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The virus floods the immune system, eventually shredding our vasculature.—
Neil Vora,
Time,
22 May 2026
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The heart, with its every beat, pumps out a mourning substance that floods the brain.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irrigates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irrigates. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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