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
The board voted to move forward with a study on Tuesday, April 14 after the original motion by First District Supervisor Hilda Solis was watered down and amended.
—
Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026
The Times has described efforts by Bass and others to water down the after-action report.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
Name, image and likeness money is pulling guys with borderline first-round grades back to school, which is watering down the top of each class.
—Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
But this move doesn’t necessarily water down what is so essentially Hong Kong about cha chaan tengs and their cooking.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for water down
Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026
The Times has described efforts by Bass and others to water down the after-action report.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
Name, image and likeness money is pulling guys with borderline first-round grades back to school, which is watering down the top of each class.
—Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
But this move doesn’t necessarily water down what is so essentially Hong Kong about cha chaan tengs and their cooking.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for water down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for water down
Verb
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Will Tesla shoulder new debt or issue shares that would dilute the current stockholders?—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
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It could then be repacked in overpacks, removed from the site by plane, train or ship and diluted into fuel for nuclear power plants.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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La Habra still had the bases loaded with no outs in the first inning, but Driskill retired the next three batters, leaving the runners stranded.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
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The 6-foot-6, 250-pound left-hander allowed a leadoff single, walked Aaron Judge and gave up another single to load the bases with nobody out.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But as filming continued, Pidgeon appeared to dirty her butter blond with caramel and chocolate shades similar to Bessette-Kennedy’s, thanks to stylist Kari Hill.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
25 Feb. 2026
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With the help of your Instant Pot, spaghetti and meatballs come together in under an hour without dirtying multiple dishes.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When the Broncos cut Greenlaw, the 49ers wasted no time in bringing him back to pair with middle linebacker Fred Warner in hopes of reviving one of the NFL’s top linebacker tandems.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
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Jacksonville general manager James Gladstone and coach Liam Coen cut their teeth as part of the Rams organization, learning from GM Les Snead and coach Sean McVay.—
Mark Long,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The idea was to reduce emissions contributing to global warming while simultaneously replacing those polluting sources with clean technologies like wind and solar power.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
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There is no remediation if the waters in it are polluted by copper sulfide and nickel mining.—
Mary Murphy,
Twin Cities,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The young woman who sojourned to Oberlin College, where she was wrongfully accused of poisoning her classmates and beaten half to death, who raised her hands in defense of herself, then went on to grip clay and rock and chisel to re-create visions of justice.—
Tyehimba Jess,
ARTnews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
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This same legacy may also poison international attitudes toward his country.—
Ian Bremmer,
Time,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In 2024, hackers infected computers at multiple hotels with a type of consumer-grade spyware known as stalkerware.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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Neem oil coats the leaves and prevents disease spores from infecting them.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Water down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/water%20down. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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