Definition of DILUTE

dilute

Plural: dilutes

Verb

Verb Forms: diluted, diluting, dilutes

  • To make a liquid thinner or weaker by adding water.
  • lessen the strength or flavor of a solution or mixture
  • corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones
  • To make thinner by adding solvent to a solution, especially by adding water.
  • To weaken, especially by adding a foreign substance.
  • To cause the value of individual shares or the stake of a shareholder to decrease by increasing the total number of shares.
  • To become attenuated, thin, or weak.

Adjective

  • reduced in strength or concentration or quality or purity
    • "diluted alcohol"
    • "a dilute solution"
    • "dilute acetic acid"

Adj

  • Having a low concentration.
  • Weak; reduced in strength by dilution; diluted.
  • Of an animal: having a lighter-coloured coat than is usual.

Noun

  • An animal having a lighter-coloured coat than is usual.

Examples

  • a cat with a dilute tortoiseshell coat
  • a dilute calico
  • Clean the panel with a dilute, neutral cleaner.
  • He tried not to DILUTE his concentration, despite the distractions around the Scrabble table.
  • It dilutes easily.

Origin / Etymology

From Latin dīlūtus, from dīluere (“to wash away, dissolve, cause to melt, dilute”), from dī-, dis- (“away, apart”) + luere (“to wash”). See lave, and compare deluge.

Synonyms

adulterate, cut, debase, diluted, load, reduce, stretch, thin, thin out

Scrabble Score: 7

dilute: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
dilute: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
dilute: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

dilute: valid Words With Friends Word