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
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.
Recent Examples of water down
Los Angeles Fire Chief Jaime Moore admitted last week that his department’s after-action report on the Palisades fire was watered down to shield top brass from scrutiny.
—
Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Rinse it with clean water and dump the dirty water down the toilet—not the sink.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 11 Jan. 2026
Tech companies are poised for a big win if Europe waters down its digital regulations overhaul and makes compliance voluntary.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
This week, operators at Oroville Dam, the tallest dam in the United States, which holds back California’s second-largest reservoir, opened the spillway gates and began releasing billions of gallons of water down the massive concrete spillway into the Feather River below.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for water down
Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Rinse it with clean water and dump the dirty water down the toilet—not the sink.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 11 Jan. 2026
Tech companies are poised for a big win if Europe waters down its digital regulations overhaul and makes compliance voluntary.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
This week, operators at Oroville Dam, the tallest dam in the United States, which holds back California’s second-largest reservoir, opened the spillway gates and began releasing billions of gallons of water down the massive concrete spillway into the Feather River below.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for water down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for water down
Verb
-
Playing 18 games will only dilute each Sunday and bring more meaningless football, like our Week 18 slate this season that featured just three games of real consequence.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Values do not need to be diluted to gain access.—
Geri Stengel,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The birds get loaded underneath the tarp like that, squat cages stacked one on top of the other.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The user fills the tumbler with water and ice, fits the tumbler with the Ecoldbrew machine, loads the bean hopper (capacity 25 g) with whole beans, uses the rotary dial to set their preferred grind, and enters the brew time on the LED touchscreen.—
Shirl Leigh
January 22,
New Atlas,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The adventurous actress dirties up her frock and face to play the village pariah, who reeks of fish and would be no man’s idea of a suitable wife, except perhaps the one-eyed bum who sleeps in the town square.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
-
When stormwater dirtied by road runoff, failing septic tanks and fertilizer sullied crystal-clear rivers and lakes, and nobody cared.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
San Marcos got the lead back to six before Mission Hills again cut it to one with 20 seconds to go.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The European Union has mandated that about 80% of new car sales in 2030 should be electric and 100% (since provisionally cut to 90%) in 2035.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In November, detainees at the facility sued, alleging the facility is polluted by sewage leaks and insect infestations, and that detainees can’t get proper medical attention for life-threatening conditions.—
CalMatters,
Oc Register,
21 Jan. 2026
-
First of all, most batteries contain cobalt, nickel, manganese, and other heavy metals that can be potentially toxic, and keeping them out of landfills ensures that these metals don’t leech out and pollute drinking water or the natural environment.—
Katherine Gallagher,
Treehugger,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
For part of the trial of El Chapo, the city shut down the Brooklyn Bridge; his lawyers tried to move the proceedings to Philadelphia, because the jury pool was poisoned by angry commuters.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Alice is paranoid, thinking her roommate is rearranging her shower supplies and that someone might be poisoning her food.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The World Health Organization estimates that 90% of infants infected within the first year will go on to develop a chronic infection and up to 25% of them will die of liver cancer or liver failure caused by the infection.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Less than two weeks after the vote, a document emerged detailing that the CDC would fund a study to look into the hepatitis B vaccine in Guinea-Bissau, where nearly one in five adults are infected with hepatitis B virus.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Water down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/water%20down. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
