as in to dilute
to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances
watered down the cocktails while jacking up their prices
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for water down
Verb
-
Some politicians in the European Parliament are seeking to dilute EU rules.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025 -
That was after Activision took steps organizers called union busting, including withholding raises granted to nonunion workers and reorganizing Raven’s staff in what the union argued was an attempt to dilute its support ahead of the election.—
Natalie Yahr,
jsonline.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Golden Hill, which did not score for the first nine innings of the tournament, loaded the bases again off Alpine starter Max Turner before Jake Morris earned another walk to plate Yun with a third run for a 3-0 lead.—
Dennis Pope,
Mercury News,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Then, the sandwich is loaded up with lettuce, tomato, Cheddar cheese, bacon, and your preferred filet.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
As more success suddenly comes his way, McKinstry has remained the same, friendly and chuckling at his locker, dirtying his jersey and pestering opponents on the field.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
-
Some were prosthetic buttocks, but others were people’s own buttocks, but in various states, like dirtied down and with partial covering.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
1 July 2025
Verb
-
The farm is closed on Monday, but is open every day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Atkins-Johnson Farm and Museum Sunflowers are available to visitors to cut for themselves in August at Big Shoal Farm, located at the Atkins-Johnson Farm and Museum, 4109 NE Pleasant Valley Road in Gladstone.—
Joseph Hernandez
August 14,
Kansas City Star,
14 Aug. 2025
-
But analysis by the Congressional Budget Office shows that raising the age to 69 - up from the current 67 - could cut lifetime benefits by up to 13 percent for anyone born after 1971.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Flea Treatment Market Is Ripe For Innovation Though safer options exist, companies should innovate to find more solutions that protect our pets without polluting the planet.—
Arlene Blum,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
-
The other is synthetic, manmade, utilitarian and crumbles within decades but pollutes the environment forever.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
29 July 2025
Verb
-
But Trump has poisoned those relationships through his intemperate demands and threats.—
Steve Chapman,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Aug. 2025
-
The blue tinge of Garrett’s corpse’s finger signals that he was poisoned, though, and this led to the discovery that Garrett’s father had sent him to the Rave’N to poison the outcasts, only the poison vial cracked and leeched into his skin instead.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Swimmer's itch is a skin rash caused by an allergic reaction to microscopic parasites that infect some birds and mammals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Measles is one of the most contagious viruses to infect humans, and can linger in the air up to two hours.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
14 Aug. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Water down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/water%20down. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share