diluent

noun

dil·​u·​ent ˈdil-yə-wənt How to pronounce diluent (audio)
-yü-ənt
: a diluting agent (such as the vehicle in a medicinal preparation)

Examples of diluent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Dealers began cutting heroin with cheap diluents and then adding fentanyl—which is less expensive and more potent than other opioids—to raise the strength of the mixture before selling it as heroin. Keith Humphreys, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2018 To create your own at home, substitute broth for the water or whatever diluent your recipe calls for. Christina Montoya Fiedler, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 June 2023 The leak released about 30 barrels of diluent — used to dilute thick petroleum products for transport — into soil surrounding the line. Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2022 Over-the-counter antigen tests from manufacturers including Abbott Labs and Quidel contain a diluent that users are instructed to mix with a sample collected from a nasal swab. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 4 Jan. 2022 See all Example Sentences for diluent 

Word History

Etymology

Latin diluent-, diluens, present participle of diluere

First Known Use

circa 1721, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of diluent was circa 1721

Dictionary Entries Near diluent

Cite this Entry

“Diluent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diluent. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

diluent

1 of 2 noun
dil·​u·​ent ˈdil-yə-wənt How to pronounce diluent (audio)
: a diluting agent (as the vehicle in a medicinal preparation)

diluent

2 of 2 adjective
: making thinner or less concentrated by admixture : diluting
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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