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
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Recent Examples of irrigate
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
An age-old guideline is to irrigate out to the tips of the branches.
—Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 2 Aug. 2025
If heavy reservoir reliance continues in Southern Idaho, farmers who irrigate may soon run into water shortages, Hoekema said.
—Idaho Statesman, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for irrigate
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
An age-old guideline is to irrigate out to the tips of the branches.
—Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 2 Aug. 2025
If heavy reservoir reliance continues in Southern Idaho, farmers who irrigate may soon run into water shortages, Hoekema said.
—Idaho Statesman, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for irrigate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irrigate
Verb
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The operator rinsed the gloved hand in the sink and came back to the main cook line to prep food.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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While dishes may come out visually clean without rinsing, at a minimum, the dishwasher filter takes a major hit.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Dry Dill To dry dill, wash and dry it thoroughly.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 Sep. 2025
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The base can even wash the mops with water heated to 212 degrees Fahrenheit to remove grease.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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My inner circle also made sure my body angles were flattering, my cheeks — all of them — were flushed and perky, and my facial expressions were authentic and strong.—
Mark Gray,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
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If possible, remove the garment and immediately flush the stain with cool running water, which will keep the stain from drying and setting into the fabric.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Irrigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irrigate. Accessed 6 Sep. 2025.
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