Advertisement
Advertisement
water down
verb
- to dilute or weaken with water
- to modify or adulterate, esp so as to omit anything harsh, unpleasant, or offensive
to water down the truth
Derived Forms
- ˌɲٱ-ˈǷɲ, adjective
Idioms and Phrases
Dilute or weaken, as in He watered down that unfavorable report with feeble excuses . [Mid-1800s]Example Sentences
While the net zero by 2050 target is currently set in law, Labour's "clean power by 2030" push is self-imposed, leading to regular rumours that it could be watered down.
He had severe chest pain, was unable to keep food or even water down and kept "chucking up bile".
Campaigners expressed concerns that officials had amended the bill to water down potential sanctions for officials.
In recent history, we can see numerous potentially popular progressive initiatives that were sidelined, suppressed or watered down through a combination of conservative fear-mongering and establishment resistance.
Some island states also abstained and said the deal was a watered down version of what they hoped for.
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse