water down
Britishverb
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to dilute or weaken with water
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to modify or adulterate, esp so as to omit anything harsh, unpleasant, or offensive
to water down the truth
Other Word Forms
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It’s like the restaurant that starts to water down the soup,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
“There was absolutely no reason or desire that I would want to water down this report.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026
Meanwhile, the European Union plans to water down rules that would have effectively banned the sale of new combustion-engine cars from 2035.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025
While books and social media posts were describing the nutritious diet that would best help my growing baby, a lot of the time I couldn't even keep water down.
From BBC • Dec. 10, 2025
“And so you joined the army, and it saved your life,” I’d finish the story for him, trying to water down my voice, take some of the sting out of it.
From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
