as in dilutes
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
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 waters down
Many have complained that having two divisions and two state champions for each classification waters down the playoffs and provides easier paths to the state championship game.
—
Greg Riddle, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
Tech companies are poised for a big win if Europe waters down its digital regulations overhaul and makes compliance voluntary.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
The most recent version of the deal waters down a landmark 2021 agreement that set a minimum global corporate tax of 15%.
—Fatima Hussein, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
Greg Riddle, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
Tech companies are poised for a big win if Europe waters down its digital regulations overhaul and makes compliance voluntary.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
The most recent version of the deal waters down a landmark 2021 agreement that set a minimum global corporate tax of 15%.
—Fatima Hussein, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waters down
Verb
-
The plans allow existing stockholders to buy shares at a steep discount, which dilutes the value and voting power of new share purchases.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2026
-
While most vegetables contain 80 to 90 percent water, overwatering adds too much moisture and dilutes the flavor of the harvest.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While trees — oak, birch, maple — dominate early spring, grass pollen often overlaps in late spring from May to June, leading to higher, more intense allergy loads for sufferers.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Now, five courts — whose case loads range from several hundred to over 40,000 — have just one permanent judge.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Sadly, the Oscar orchestra cuts them off before another songwriter can speak.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
-
It is easily reached by a highway that cuts cleanly through the Sonoran Desert, past wind turbines spinning in their hundreds.—
Sophie Morgan,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
As my colleague Iris Kwok explains, that’s due to the state’s higher taxes and stricter requirements for cleaner, more expensive gas that pollutes.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Climate change, industrial pollution, inadequate sanitation that pollutes drinking water sources with human waste — these are all factors in the water crisis.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And over time, the barrage will likely become less effective and more deadly to civilians – as the target list thins out and the items the Americans and Israelis need to hit become more enmeshed in civilian life.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Anyone who's on an anticoagulant, anything that thins your blood or prevents you from having a blood clot, should talk with a pharmacist or healthcare provider first to double-check which supplements interact with those types of medications.—
Stephanie Brown,
Verywell Health,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Mumps infects the salivary glands below the ears.—
Tanya Lewis,
Scientific American,
6 Mar. 2026
-
For me, boredom is a destabilizing state that infects the very experiences that make life meaningful.—
Daniel Smith,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waters down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waters%20down. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
