water down
verb
watered down; watering down; waters down
: to reduce or temper the force or effectiveness of
watered down the plan
Synonyms
Examples of water down in a Sentence
watered down the cocktails while jacking up their prices
Recent Examples on the Web
But in reality, lawyers have an incentive to recover the largest amount of money in the shortest amount of time, which could pressure them to water down settlements and compromise on punitive measures, Dr. Nolette said.
—
Shalina Chatlani, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Civil rights leaders and activists say Project 2025 is the work of a small minority of vocal conservatives who are trying to roll back civil rights laws and water down safeguards against racial discrimination.
—USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024
Critics have meanwhile accused the nonprofit of promoting harmful talking points on climate change and LGBTQ+ issues, along with watering down lessons that might cast America in a negative light.
—Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024
The pressures to water down or delay the SEC's climate disclosure rules endanger U.S. companies' position in this transition.
—Peter Vanham, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
The European Union and Britain plan to ban the sale of new combustion vehicles in favor of electric ones, but the move is stumbling and some experts believe the only sensible solution is to water down the edict by giving free rein to hybrids.
—Neil Winton, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Earlier this month, the European Commission nudged member countries to consider watering down some of environmental rules that could offer farmers respite while still working towards new reforms.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 26 Mar. 2024
The protests have led politicians across the Continent to vow to ease the burden on farmers and water down some regulations.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 21 Mar. 2024
First, his drive found the water down the left before his next shot was shanked into the trees.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024
Shalina Chatlani, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Civil rights leaders and activists say Project 2025 is the work of a small minority of vocal conservatives who are trying to roll back civil rights laws and water down safeguards against racial discrimination.
—USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024
Critics have meanwhile accused the nonprofit of promoting harmful talking points on climate change and LGBTQ+ issues, along with watering down lessons that might cast America in a negative light.
—Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024
The pressures to water down or delay the SEC's climate disclosure rules endanger U.S. companies' position in this transition.
—Peter Vanham, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
The European Union and Britain plan to ban the sale of new combustion vehicles in favor of electric ones, but the move is stumbling and some experts believe the only sensible solution is to water down the edict by giving free rein to hybrids.
—Neil Winton, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Earlier this month, the European Commission nudged member countries to consider watering down some of environmental rules that could offer farmers respite while still working towards new reforms.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 26 Mar. 2024
The protests have led politicians across the Continent to vow to ease the burden on farmers and water down some regulations.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 21 Mar. 2024
First, his drive found the water down the left before his next shot was shanked into the trees.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'water down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Water down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20down. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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