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Showing results for water down. Search instead for water+down.
Synonyms

water down

British  

verb

  1. to dilute or weaken with water

  2. to modify or adulterate, esp so as to omit anything harsh, unpleasant, or offensive

    to water down the truth
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
water down Idioms  

  1. Dilute or weaken, as in He watered down that unfavorable report with feeble excuses. [Mid-1800s]

Other Word Forms

  • watered-down adjective

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.

BMA resident doctor committee chair Dr Jack Fletcher accused the government of watering down elements of the deal at the last minute.

From BBC

"She made things that would be spectacular and shocking and didn't like the watering down of that."

From BBC

Cox initially had a three strike rule for customers, but Sony alleged the company watered down its consequences for infringers to just a stern warning over time.

From The Wall Street Journal

Pressed on whether they were considering watering down their idea, they said they were currently studying the responses to a consultation on the plans, and would respond once they had.

From BBC

She drank long and deep, enjoying every moment of it, filling her trunk again and again and then pouring the water down her throat.

From Literature

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.