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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of water down
Critics of 243 argued it was watered down significantly after industry input.
—
Kate Wolffe
october 13, Sacbee.com, 13 Oct. 2025
That appeared to work out once again with his threats to China over rare earth exports later watered down online, Woods said.
—Alex Harring,sarah Min, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2025
Swift simply refuses to pass this baton, and her kung fu grip on pop’s crown handicapped this record and watered down her best qualities.
—Bianca Davino, Refinery29, 7 Oct. 2025
In one passage, the cameras follow water down a shower drain and into a cavernous subterranean universe; in another, Mike tumbles through a sky of stars.
—Carrie Battan, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for water down
Kate Wolffe
october 13, Sacbee.com, 13 Oct. 2025
That appeared to work out once again with his threats to China over rare earth exports later watered down online, Woods said.
—Alex Harring,sarah Min, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2025
Swift simply refuses to pass this baton, and her kung fu grip on pop’s crown handicapped this record and watered down her best qualities.
—Bianca Davino, Refinery29, 7 Oct. 2025
In one passage, the cameras follow water down a shower drain and into a cavernous subterranean universe; in another, Mike tumbles through a sky of stars.
—Carrie Battan, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for water down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for water down
Verb
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Bleach should never be used on a mattress, even if it's diluted.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 2025
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Without the requirement to protect majority-minority districts, Republicans would have far greater freedom to redraw congressional maps in ways that dilute the voting power of Black and other minority communities—areas that tend to favor Democrats.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Sanford jarred the ball loose as Zollers was loading up to pass, and the ball caromed to A&M’s Dalton Brooks virtually in stride behind Zollers.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 Nov. 2025
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The seller will load the grating for transport, but won't secure the load.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The ashes from the crematorium chimney covered the streets, sooted the rain, dirtied the snow, damaged the crops, infected every body.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
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At Dilara Findikoglu, models looked like ladies in waiting that had risen from the dead; wearing antiquated corsetry that was dirtied and torn.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An emergency order by the FAA on Thursday said airlines have to cut traffic by 4%, resulting in about 800 flight cancellations for Friday that increased to over 1,000 throughout the day, according to FlightAware.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
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Southwest Airlines cut about 120 flights Friday.—
JOSH FUNK,
Arkansas Online,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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If it’s harvested from an area that’s been polluted, there’s a possibility it could be contaminated with unsafe minerals like mercury or arsenic.—
Caroline C. Boyle,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
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In contrast to polluting polyester, these fibers are biodegradable and will naturally decompose after disposal.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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What about him specifically bothers you especially in terms of poisoning the youth?—
Jayson Buford,
Rolling Stone,
3 Nov. 2025
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There’s often an arch detachment where the singer tries to pretend as though they haven’t actually been poisoned by being online themselves.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The National Turkey Federation estimated last year that up to 80% of turkey flocks were infected with AMPV, which complicates the situation with the surge in bird flu.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
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The Center for Disease Control said if one person with the virus is present, up to nine or 10 people nearby will be infected if they are not protected.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Water down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/water%20down. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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