dilution

American  

[dih-loo-shuhn, dahy-] / dɪˈlu ʃən, daɪ- /

noun

1. the act of diluting or the state of being diluted.

2. something diluted.

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dilution British  

/ daɪˈluːʃən /

noun

1. the act of diluting or state of being diluted

2. a diluted solution

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dilution Scientific  

/ dĭ-lo̅o̅′shən /

1. The process of making a substance less concentrated by adding a solvent, such as water.

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Other Word Forms

• antidilution adjective
• nondilution noun
• overdilution noun

Etymology

Origin of dilution

First recorded in 1640–50; dilute + -ion

Explanation

Dilution is when something is watered down or weakened. You might object to the dilution of your grandmother's watery iced tea. When the concentration of some substance is made weaker — often by the addition of water — it undergoes dilution. This noun shows up a lot in chemistry, but you can use it to talk about any watered down liquid. You can also describe the dilution, or weakening, of less tangible things, like the dilution of important information in an article after it's edited. The Latin root, diluere, means "dissolve or wash away."

Example Sentences

They were said to have narrowed some but not all of the gaps, at least on the nuclear file, where Iran offered new concessions including the dilution of its highly enriched uranium.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

It will use some of the proceeds to enter into capped call transactions, which are hedging instruments used to reduce potential stock dilution from converted bonds.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Because Unilever’s food business dwarfs McCormick’s, there would be significant dilution for McCormick’s current shareholders.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

“For some companies, the dilution is very significant over time, and then you need to factor for that,” Luria said.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 21, 2026

The lake was surveyed, its volume determined, and the insecticide applied in such great dilution that for every part of chemical there would be 70 million parts of water.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson