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
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Consider, for instance, the incentives for homeowners to make significant investments in rooftop solar only to have the rules of the game changed so as to dilute the original benefits.—
Harvey Levine,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 June 2025 -
By issuing bonds, which were approved at a June 3 school-board meeting, the nation’s second-largest school system stretches out repayments over 15 years, diluting the toll on its annual budget — and on services and programs.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2025
Verb
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Over the course of a year, the U.S. company imports thousands of pounds of these bearings, paying a tariff each time a batch of them is loaded off a container ship.—
Robert Goulder,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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That's why this bill is loaded up with priorities of GOP lawmakers and the Trump administration.—
Allison Pecorin,
ABC News,
23 June 2025
Verb
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And for nights when you can't be bothered to dirty a million dishes just to get dinner on the table, there's an air fryer from Ninja.—
Sarah Felbin,
SELF,
23 May 2025
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Crème Brûlée Steve Granitz Crème brûlée is like butter blonde, but dirtied up a bit for a browned, warm tint.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
2 May 2025
Verb
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The prospect of trying to cut open a stubborn 5-4-1 block in the Orlando heat could have become torturous quite quickly.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
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According to a report on Bloomberg, MSFT is planning to cut thousands of jobs in its Xbox gaming division.—
MoneyShow,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
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The group is also likely to vote in October on whether to impose financial penalties on some polluting vessels.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
18 June 2025
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The study found many of these areas remain disconnected from national grids and are highly dependent on costly and polluting diesel generators.—
Jamie Hailstone,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2025
Verb
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Still, no amount of artistic success could heal the rift that had poisoned the group.—
Ernesto Lechner,
Rolling Stone,
21 June 2025
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In some cities, stray dogs are poisoned with strychnine, a pesticide banned in many countries for causing inhumane suffering.—
Lisa Klaassen,
CNN Money,
20 June 2025
Verb
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About 20% of those infected will develop a fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rash.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
30 June 2025
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By the end of that film, a batch of the infected had made it to France, implying that the virus would soon overtake the European continent and the rest of the world.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
25 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Water down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/water%20down. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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