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
Uncut, straight from the barrel, and full of flavor, the barrel proof rye is not diluted or watered down.
—
Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 22 Sep. 2025
It wasn’t watered down or made easily digestible.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 19 Sep. 2025
Representatives for the tech industry were opposed, and pitted it against AI companion chatbot regulation bill Senate Bill 243, which was watered down in the last days of the session.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2025
While automakers unveiled more and cheaper electric vehicles at the Munich Auto Show Tuesday, the controversy gathered pace over whether to water down the European Union’s long-term plan to force its citizens to buy EVs.
—Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for water down
Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 22 Sep. 2025
It wasn’t watered down or made easily digestible.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 19 Sep. 2025
Representatives for the tech industry were opposed, and pitted it against AI companion chatbot regulation bill Senate Bill 243, which was watered down in the last days of the session.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2025
While automakers unveiled more and cheaper electric vehicles at the Munich Auto Show Tuesday, the controversy gathered pace over whether to water down the European Union’s long-term plan to force its citizens to buy EVs.
—Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for water down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for water down
Verb
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The 2024 European Parliament elections strengthened far-right blocs and pushed the centre-right toward diluting elements of the Green Deal, reframing climate rules as sovereignty or competitiveness threats and amplifying cost-of-living and farmer-protest narratives.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Bitcoin treasury craze cools Companies that diluted their stock by selling shares specifically to fund Bitcoin purchases have seen their values tumble by 20% to 50%, according to the WSJ.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There would be no replay of that 2022 failure, which featured the same inning (sixth), the same jam (bases loaded) and the same long walk (for John Schneider to pull Gausman).—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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During testing, Screambox titles loaded quickly.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Vance said one portion of Democrats are making unreasonable demands to restore more than $1 trillion over the next decade in healthcare spending that was cut earlier this year.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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Training, professional development, and the Safe Cities Partnership are among the areas cut.—
Paul Egan,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, women in cobalt-mining regions have reported reproductive-health concerns such as miscarriages and birth defects; cobalt mining has also polluted croplands.—
Scott W. Stern,
The Atlantic,
2 Oct. 2025
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The group sees ample opportunity for partnership with some of the denim industry’s leading finishing innovators, who have worked to replace stone-washing techniques—which are polluting and water-guzzling—with lasers to achieve whiskering and distressing.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This creates unavoidable and intolerable conflicts of interest that poison the competitive dynamics that healthy markets require.—
Asad Ramzanali,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
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Hogan initially denied poisoning her estranged husband, according to police, but later changed her story.—
Mike Stunson,
Miami Herald,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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At the end of the 19th century, Phylloxera bugs infected vineyards across Europe but a solution was found, and viticulture adapted and continued.—
Miguel A. Torres,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
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Any area where people are touching the same surfaces can be a risk, and people can get infected from touching items in those areas.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Water down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/water%20down. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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