as in to dilute
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for water down
Verb
-
Follow label directions to dilute the concentrate before spraying.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
28 May 2025 -
Han and Li’s student-teacher relationship in particular is diluted and lacks necessary grounding, and there’s little compelling friction between the two masters to make up for it.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
28 May 2025
Verb
-
With the bases now loaded and no one out, Cole started to rear back.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
-
Anthony Volpe couldn't make the throw to third base, and the Dodgers suddenly had the bases loaded and nobody out.—
Noah Camras,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
Verb
-
Crème Brûlée Steve Granitz Crème brûlée is like butter blonde, but dirtied up a bit for a browned, warm tint.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
2 May 2025
-
He’s come through with timely hits, dirtied his uniform on the bases and made an impact with his arm in the outfield.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
In a series of posts on social media, the National Weather Service warned that that twisters could be cutting across the central and southern part of the metro.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2025
-
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at Tuesday’s briefing that Vought would continue to cut spending, hinting that there could be additional efforts to return funds.—
Josh Boak,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
Verb
-
In recent weeks, the flaws in the technology have crossed over into absurd territory: For example, by generating a summer reading list of fake books and legal documents polluted with serious errors and fabrications.—
Ryan Faughnder,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
-
The Hazel Johnson ordinance grew out of a 2020 federal civil rights complaint filed by the Southeast Environmental Task Force and other groups challenging the city’s concentration of polluting industries in certain neighborhoods.—
Brian J. Rogal,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
Verb
-
As the film unfolds, Wilson finds out that Sterns, the movie's villain, has been the mastermind behind the entire plot and has been poisoning Ross with gamma rays via pills for years.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
28 May 2025
-
Intermediately, because a member of Ethan’s team, Claire (Emmanuelle Béart) has poisoned Donloe, which results in Donloe having some pretty intense gastrointestinal reactions.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
27 May 2025
Verb
-
As such, even devices that are safe themselves can be infected by downloading apps from unofficial marketplaces — just as with Android smartphones.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
-
The presence of the virus this month in samples indicates an additional person may be infected with the highly contagious illness, according to a news release.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
6 June 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Water down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/water%20down. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share