dilute
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
adjective
verb
-
to make or become less concentrated, esp by adding water or a thinner
-
to make or become weaker in force, effect, etc
he diluted his story
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
diluternoun
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overdiluteverb
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dilutiveadjective
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diluteenoun
-
antidilutiveadjective
-
undilutingadjective
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dilutornoun
-
undiluteadjective
-
undilutedadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has dilutedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have dilutedperfect
-
is dilutingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
has been dilutingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been dilutingperfect progressive
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dilutessingular 3rd person
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dilutingparticiple
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am dilutingprogressive 1st person singular
-
are dilutingprogressive
Past
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had dilutedperfect
-
had been dilutingperfect progressive
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dilutedsimple
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were dilutingprogressive plural
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dilutedparticiple
-
was dilutingprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of dilute
1545–55; < Latin dīlūtus washed away, dissolved (past participle of dīluere ), equivalent to dī- di- 2 + -lūtus, combining form of lautus ( lav ( ere ) to wash + -tus past participle suffix)
Explanation
When you dilute something, you make it thinner, weaker, or more watered down. If you put lots of ice cubes in your soda, the ice will melt and dilute the drink. Think about diluting as lessening the quality but increasing the quantity. Unless you're diluting a really strong drink to make it taste better or diluting heavy paint to get a lighter shade — then the quality actually improves. Quipped President John F. Kennedy, “Public speaking is the art of diluting a two-minute idea with a two-hour vocabulary.”
Vocabulary lists containing dilute
Word Generation Science - Introductory Chemistry Concepts
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Margaret Chase Smith's "Declaration of Conscience" (1950)
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The Chocolate War
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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.
Equity offerings dilute existing shareholders, so they tend to drag down a stock.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
It’s more difficult for a fund to adjust exposure to private firms as the fund’s size increases, which can dilute the weighting of exposure to SpaceX.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
Experts warn mega IPOs like SpaceX may dampen market returns, mute multiple expansion, and dilute existing AI stock valuations.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
That would bring the U.S. position closer to that of Iran, which has agreed to dilute its stockpiles to low enrichment level and has expressed openness to transfer them to Russia.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
“We have to dilute the poison until the nymphs are cleansed.”
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
