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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Recent Examples of water down
The bill Newsom signed was in response to a law lawmakers hastily passed at the end of the 2024 legislative session, watering down the state’s 55-year-old landmark lemon law.
—
Calmatters, Oc Register, 29 Dec. 2025
Kennedy made a panoply of promises but, so far, has watered down or failed to achieved most of them.
—Isabella Cueto, STAT, 29 Dec. 2025
The bill Newsom signed was in response to a law lawmakers hastily passed at the end of the 2024 legislative session, watering down the state’s 55-year-old landmark lemon law.
—Calmatters, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Dec. 2025
Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty Images The European Union on Tuesday is expected to water down its effective ban on sales of new combustion-engine cars from 2035, after lobbying efforts from Germany, Italy, and some automotive industry groups.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for water down
Calmatters, Oc Register, 29 Dec. 2025
Kennedy made a panoply of promises but, so far, has watered down or failed to achieved most of them.
—Isabella Cueto, STAT, 29 Dec. 2025
The bill Newsom signed was in response to a law lawmakers hastily passed at the end of the 2024 legislative session, watering down the state’s 55-year-old landmark lemon law.
—Calmatters, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Dec. 2025
Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty Images The European Union on Tuesday is expected to water down its effective ban on sales of new combustion-engine cars from 2035, after lobbying efforts from Germany, Italy, and some automotive industry groups.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for water down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for water down
Verb
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Those sums would likely be diluted, given baseball teams carry 26 players and NBA teams carry up to 15, but money is still money.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
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Just be sure to dilute it with a carrier oil like coconut or almond oil before massaging it into sore spots.—
Iman Balagam,
Vogue,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Wash them or load them into the dishwasher, and run it if necessary.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
16 Jan. 2026
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It was caused by a man who allegedly cut out 800 feet of fiber optic cable from an agency facility in Hayward, and loaded several spools of the wiring into his truck, authorities said.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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Keep them in reserve as a sleep sock to ward off icy toes and prevent sweat and skin oils from dirtying your down sleeping bag.—
Adam Roy,
Outside,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Carolina cut the lead 17-14 at halftime after a 1-yard touchdown run by Hubbard and a 16-yard scramble by Young, the second-longest TD run of his career.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
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This same staff cut him to make room for a waiver-wire claim before the start of the 2024 season.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Despite the cesspits of conspiracy-think that pollute contemporary politics, the specific paranoia of Letts’s characters — bugs under the skin, brainwashing, nefarious doctors in government labs — feels less blazingly relevant than comparatively quaint.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
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Chemical rockets put out huge plumes of polluting exhaust, and for a massive machine like the SpaceX Starship, with 33 first-stage engines, that can add up—especially with hundreds of launches planned.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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People infected with the salmonella bacteria can experience symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
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Most people infected with salmonella will experience stomach cramps, fever and diarrhea, according to the CDC.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Water down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/water%20down. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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