dilute

[dih-loot, dahy-, dahy-loot]

verb (used with object)

diluted, diluting 

1. to make (a liquid) thinner or weaker by the addition of water or the like.

2. to make fainter, as a color.

3. to reduce the strength, force, or efficiency of by admixture.

   Synonyms: diminish, mitigate, temper, weaken

verb (used without object)

diluted, diluting 

1. to become diluted.

adjective

1. reduced in strength, as a chemical by admixture; weak.

   a dilute solution.

dilute

/ daɪˈluːt /

verb

1. to make or become less concentrated, esp by adding water or a thinner

2. to make or become weaker in force, effect, etc

   he diluted his story

adjective

1. chem

   1. (of a solution, suspension, mixture, etc) having a low concentration or a concentration that has been reduced by admixture

   2. (of a substance) present in solution, esp a weak solution in water

      dilute acetic acid

Other Word Forms

• dilutee noun
• diluter noun
• dilutor noun
• dilutive adjective
• antidilutive adjective
• overdilute verb
• undilute adjective
• undiluted adjective
• undiluting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dilute¹

1545–55; < Latin dīlūtus washed away, dissolved (past participle of dīluere ), equivalent to dī- di- ² + -lūtus, combining form of lautus ( lav ( ere ) to wash + -tus past participle suffix)

Word History and Origins

Origin of dilute¹

C16: from Latin dīluere, from dis- apart + -luere, from lavāre to wash

Example Sentences

Stella Creasy, the Labour MP for Walthamstow, brought the issue to Parliament as an urgent question, warning "the seriousness of the term terrorism risks losing its meaning, becoming diluted rather than strengthened".

From BBC

Sweeney’s observations about this duality, as seen through O’Brien’s characters, dilute the romanticized notion that having an identical double shields a person from isolation.

From Los Angeles Times

But with so many players being loaned out to other clubs, the transient nature of such arrangements also risks diluting the identity of teams.

From BBC

The health secretary said such laws had put "more expectation on police" and "diluted the focus and priorities of the public", adding "that's obviously something we need to look at".

From BBC

Three others are designed to dilute Democratic votes in three of the state’s largest metropolitan areas, potentially flipping one district from blue to red in Austin, in greater Houston and in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

From Salon

Related Words

• adulterate 
• alter 
• decrease 
• diminish 
• lessen 
• mitigate 
• modify 
• reduce 
• temper 
• water down