1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

watering

verb

present participle of water
as in wetting
to make wet watered the plants

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 watering Drought-resistant & gleaming, the two of us up early, watering in record heat. — Marcus Wicker, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026 Mercer recommends adding a 2 or 3 inch layer of mulch to help keep the soil as cool as possible, and watering deeply during drought periods. — Heather Bien, The Spruce, 4 Sep. 2026 Even in the West, which is in the middle of a historic megadrought, more water is used every year watering lawns. — Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026 However, many gardeners make the mistake of not watering at all in autumn. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2026 Elworthy suggests watering twice per week, making sure the lawn gets a half inch per irrigation session. — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 31 Aug. 2026 Many of the plants are dying because the city halted construction, and the Boveys said they are prohibited from watering the plants. — Susan Sarkauskas, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026 Perhaps a soldier took his last breath beneath its canopy, watering its roots with his blood. — ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026 That may mean holding off on filling up a kid's swimming pool or watering your lawn during the day. — John Lauritsen, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watering
  1. wetting
  2. drowning
  3. washing
  4. flooding
Verb
  • Havenith said deliberately wetting clothing can provide evaporative cooling, including for older adults who may not sweat as effectively.
    — Aya Diab, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • For best results, water deeply at the base of the plant, allowing moisture to soak into the root zone rather than wetting the foliage, says Kelly Funk, president and CEO of Jackson & Perkins.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of wetting
Verb
  • Across Argentina, young borrowers like 20-year-old law student Martín Taborda are drowning in small loans that ballooned into unpayable debts, forcing them to abandon studies and basic expenses.
    — Débora Rey, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • After decades of decline, the rate of drowning deaths among children has risen significantly in recent years, doctors recently warned.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of drowning
Verb
  • Now, to the handwashing shortcomings, such as a cashier handling customer’s payment, then preparing drinks and serving plates of food to customers without washing hands (cash and payment cards tend to be germ motherships).
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
  • In a single-person household, washing your bath mat every one to two weeks is typically sufficient.
    — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of washing
Verb
  • This work should not be about flooding the internet with AI slop.
    — Evan Nierman, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • One rumor had terrorists flooding the island of Manhattan, leaving no exit.
    — Bob Kustra, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of flooding

Phrases Containing watering

Browse Nearby Words

water holes
watering
watering can
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Watering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watering. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of facsimile

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All