water down

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.

“There is no way to slice and dice this report to water down the horrible headline,” writes John Ryding, chief economic advisor at Brean Capital.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

“It’s like the restaurant that starts to water down the soup,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

The proposals could face a backlash from campaign groups who fear they could water down the legal rights of children.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

“There was absolutely no reason or desire that I would want to water down this report.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

Since Darin’s eyes were sharp as a cat’s, I was always the one stuck stealing apricots from the neighbors, or pouring cold water down the back of Nan’s shirt.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir