as in rinsing
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 irrigating
This new statute requires various property owners, including HOAs, to either remove nonfunctional turf or begin irrigating it with reclaimed water.
—
Kelly G. Richardson, Oc Register, 17 Apr. 2026
The dam was built to control floods from the Colorado River while also irrigating the Southwest.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Make sure plants are well watered going into fall and winter, and check soil moisture regularly over winter, irrigating as needed to maintain moist, but not wet, soil.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 5 Feb. 2026
Under the agreement, Riverview will stop irrigating 2,000 acres of crops in phases within 12 years.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
As images reach us in fragments, sound weaves a continuity from off-screen to on-screen, carrying the emotion through the film and irrigating the streams of images, like water flowing.
—Cátia Rodrigues, Variety, 16 Aug. 2025
Thirsty data That Lake Mead’s worth of water that has disappeared from beneath the lower Colorado basin has gone largely to irrigating alfalfa and other food for cows, much of which is exported.
—Mark Gongloff, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
That Lake Mead’s worth of water that has disappeared from beneath the lower Colorado basin has gone largely to irrigating alfalfa and other food for cows, much of which is exported.
—Mark Gongloff, Denver Post, 12 Aug. 2025
It’s been around since people have existed and has been used for cultural practices, capturing drinking water and irrigating crops.
—La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Kelly G. Richardson, Oc Register, 17 Apr. 2026
The dam was built to control floods from the Colorado River while also irrigating the Southwest.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Make sure plants are well watered going into fall and winter, and check soil moisture regularly over winter, irrigating as needed to maintain moist, but not wet, soil.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 5 Feb. 2026
Under the agreement, Riverview will stop irrigating 2,000 acres of crops in phases within 12 years.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
As images reach us in fragments, sound weaves a continuity from off-screen to on-screen, carrying the emotion through the film and irrigating the streams of images, like water flowing.
—Cátia Rodrigues, Variety, 16 Aug. 2025
Thirsty data That Lake Mead’s worth of water that has disappeared from beneath the lower Colorado basin has gone largely to irrigating alfalfa and other food for cows, much of which is exported.
—Mark Gongloff, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
That Lake Mead’s worth of water that has disappeared from beneath the lower Colorado basin has gone largely to irrigating alfalfa and other food for cows, much of which is exported.
—Mark Gongloff, Denver Post, 12 Aug. 2025
It’s been around since people have existed and has been used for cultural practices, capturing drinking water and irrigating crops.
—La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irrigating
Verb
-
An employee reportedly did not properly wash a ladle after using, only rinsing it with water and drying it with a paper towel.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
17 Apr. 2026
-
To do so, after unplugging and disassembling the humidifier and removing and rinsing the filter, fill the water tank with a gallon of water and one teaspoon of bleach.—
Terri Williams,
Architectural Digest,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The airbender has not been present in flushing thus far.—
James O'Connell,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
An English manor with ties to not one but two queens—and a courtier best remembered for inventing the flushing toilet—lords over the countryside just outside Bath.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The next day, Nataliia was washing the landing outside of her apartment with vinegar, as advised by officials, when an evacuation order was issued.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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This includes drinking water, water used for brushing teeth, washing for washing dishes and water for food preparation, officials said.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irrigating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irrigating. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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