Phrasal Verbs

water down (2)

This page is about the phrasal verb water down (2)

Meaning

to change something like the lyrics of a song or the dialogue in a movie to make it less offensive or less likely to upset people

Synonym

tone down

For example

  • water down sth They had to water down the song for radio, but they've also released the original version on a limited-edition DVD.

  • water sth down The comedian had to water his act down for TV or he wouldn't be allowed to perform.

Quick Quiz

Some of the dialogue in the movie had to be watered down because it was

a. too offensive

b. too boring

c. too dry
a) too offensive b) too boring c) too dry

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1000 Phrasal Verbs in Context

Contributor: Matt Errey