water down

verb

watered down; watering down; waters down

transitive verb

: to reduce or temper the force or effectiveness of
watered down the plan
watered-down adjective

Examples of water down in a Sentence

watered down the cocktails while jacking up their prices
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Jackson is soliciting donations via his Substack to try to water down Bishop's attacks. Alexandria Sands, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024 The other promises, some of which are viewed negatively, are expected to be watered down, or dismissed. John S. Tobey, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024 Henry Cavendish did a lot of wild experiments, including one designed to break water down into parts. Melvin Backman, Quartz, 14 Oct. 2024 Musk’s role in reshaping Twitter into X — turning it from the world’s foremost social media platform for real-time news into a hotbed of conspiracy theories and misinformation, in part by axing its trust and safety teams and watering down its content policies, has been well-documented. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for water down 

Word History

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of water down was in 1811

Dictionary Entries Near water down

Cite this Entry

“Water down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20down. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on water down

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