watering

verb

present participle of water
as in wetting
to make wet watered the plants

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of watering The restrictions limited customers across the city and some of its suburbs to watering twice a week and imposed higher billing rates that kicked in as customers used more water. — Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2026 These had worked adequately for isolated farmers, but too many could overwhelm the absorptive capacity of the ground—especially if sprinklers were watering the lawns—causing effluent to rise to the surface or enter waterways. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026 Engel advises watering the plant thoroughly in its old location to keep the root ball intact and have moisture at the ready when the plant is moved. — Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 26 Sep. 2026 First, avoid watering your garden with a sprinkler and instead use a hose or a watering can near the mulch to prevent it from getting wet often, says Klimorowski. — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 26 Sep. 2026 Officials say warmer temperatures have prompted residents to begin watering earlier in the spring, increasing pressure on the city's water supply. — Kelly Werthmann, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026 Drought-resistant & gleaming, the two of us up early, watering in record heat. — Marcus Wicker, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026 Even in the West, which is in the middle of a historic megadrought, more water is used every year watering lawns. — Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026 However, many gardeners make the mistake of not watering at all in autumn. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watering
  1. wetting
  2. drowning
  3. washing
  4. flooding
Verb
  • Havenith said deliberately wetting clothing can provide evaporative cooling, including for older adults who may not sweat as effectively.
    — Aya Diab, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • For best results, water deeply at the base of the plant, allowing moisture to soak into the root zone rather than wetting the foliage, says Kelly Funk, president and CEO of Jackson & Perkins.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of wetting
Verb
  • Prosecutors say he was beaten, suspended by his hands and feet and subjected to simulated drowning during two days of interrogation.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Rings, watches, and even bedtime armbands like Garmin's Index Sleep Monitor now log every toss and turn, while dedicated sleep earbuds like the battery-less SomniBuds focus on drowning out the world around you.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of drowning
Verb
  • Walls around the three-sinks are dirty in the ware-washing area.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Meals start with a server ritualistically washing your hands with rose water.
    — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of washing
Verb
  • In the brain, for example, elevated stress hormones can impair learning and memory by flooding the hippocampus with excitatory chemical signals.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • By holding water on the land, these peatlands not only reduce the risk of flooding downstream, but also buffer the landscape against drought, keeping soils moist and supporting nearby forests through dry spells.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of flooding

Phrases Containing watering

Browse Nearby Words

water holes
watering
watering can
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Watering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watering. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All