as in rinsing
to pour liquid over or through in order to cleanse
if you get the chemical in your eye, irrigate the eye thoroughly with water
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Recent Examples of irrigating
Change your watering practices if needed, and never mow right after a rain or irrigating the lawn.
—
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 24 Apr. 2026
Kunyu City, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of northwest China, hosts huge sprinklers that are irrigating over 1,317 acres (533 hectares) of winter wheat fields on the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 23 Apr. 2026
This new statute requires various property owners, including HOAs, to either remove nonfunctional turf or begin irrigating it with reclaimed water.
—Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
This new statute requires various property owners, including HOAs, to either remove nonfunctional turf or begin irrigating it with reclaimed water.
—Kelly G. Richardson, Oc Register, 17 Apr. 2026
The dam was built to control floods from the Colorado River while also irrigating the Southwest.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Under the agreement, Riverview will stop irrigating 2,000 acres of crops in phases within 12 years.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
As images reach us in fragments, sound weaves a continuity from off-screen to on-screen, carrying the emotion through the film and irrigating the streams of images, like water flowing.
—Cátia Rodrigues, Variety, 16 Aug. 2025
Thirsty data That Lake Mead’s worth of water that has disappeared from beneath the lower Colorado basin has gone largely to irrigating alfalfa and other food for cows, much of which is exported.
—Mark Gongloff, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 24 Apr. 2026
Kunyu City, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of northwest China, hosts huge sprinklers that are irrigating over 1,317 acres (533 hectares) of winter wheat fields on the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 23 Apr. 2026
This new statute requires various property owners, including HOAs, to either remove nonfunctional turf or begin irrigating it with reclaimed water.
—Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
This new statute requires various property owners, including HOAs, to either remove nonfunctional turf or begin irrigating it with reclaimed water.
—Kelly G. Richardson, Oc Register, 17 Apr. 2026
The dam was built to control floods from the Colorado River while also irrigating the Southwest.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Under the agreement, Riverview will stop irrigating 2,000 acres of crops in phases within 12 years.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
As images reach us in fragments, sound weaves a continuity from off-screen to on-screen, carrying the emotion through the film and irrigating the streams of images, like water flowing.
—Cátia Rodrigues, Variety, 16 Aug. 2025
Thirsty data That Lake Mead’s worth of water that has disappeared from beneath the lower Colorado basin has gone largely to irrigating alfalfa and other food for cows, much of which is exported.
—Mark Gongloff, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irrigating
Verb
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Descaling involves running a vinegar or commercial descaling solution through the machine to flush out mineral buildup, then rinsing it out with multiple water cycles.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Instead of soaking, the seed can also be cleaned by rinsing it under fast, hot running water multiple times.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That water still cannot be used for any purpose beyond toilet flushing, city officials said.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
26 Apr. 2026
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Water line flushing was completed, and water samples citywide continue to be analyzed, officials said.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The next day, Nataliia was washing the landing outside of her apartment with vinegar, as advised by officials, when an evacuation order was issued.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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This includes drinking water, water used for brushing teeth, washing for washing dishes and water for food preparation, officials said.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irrigating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irrigating. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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