water down
Britishverb
-
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
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.
Bass has repeatedly denied that she was involved in any effort to water down the report.
From Los Angeles Times
Bass repeatedly has denied she was involved in any effort to water down the after-action report, which was meant to spell out mistakes in the Palisades fire response and suggest measures to avoid repeating them.
From Los Angeles Times
The proposals could face a backlash from campaign groups who fear they could water down the legal rights of children.
From BBC
“There was absolutely no reason or desire that I would want to water down this report.”
From Los Angeles Times
Both Berlin and Italy also helped pressure the EU to water down its 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars -- a decision again opposed, unsuccessfully, by France.
From Barron's
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.
