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
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.
Additionally, the company alleges the state changed the solicitation and watered down the technical requirements of the project. William Melhado, Sacramento Bee, 21 Mar. 2025 Partly spurred on by Bowman's criticism, big banks lobbied hard to water down that Basel rule, which has since failed to progress due to infighting among regulatory officials on the best path forward. Pete Schroeder and Kanishka Singh, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025 There has been staunch opposition from Republicans, who have introduced legislation of their own to water down or even eliminate home rule for the District of Columbia. Qasim Nauman, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025 Gravity draws the water down into faucets, pools and hydrants below, and then the tanks are refilled with water pumped up from the city’s pipelines. Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Water down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20down. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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