irrigate
verb
ir·ri·gate
| \ ˈir-ə-ˌgāt
\
\
irrigated;
irrigating
Definition of irrigate
a
: to supply (land, crops, etc.) with water by artificial means
irrigating the cotton plants irrigates 20 acres of farmland
b
: to flush (a body part) with a stream of liquid
irrigate the wound with saline solution the eye was irrigated following chemical exposure
2
: to refresh as if by watering
: to practice irrigation
A tensiometer (soil moisture probe), available at any garden center, helps take the guesswork out of irrigating. — The Benicia (California) Herald
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from irrigate
irrigator
\ ˈir-ə-ˌgā-tər
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of irrigate in a Sentence
The surgeon irrigated the wound.
if you get the chemical in your eye, irrigate the eye thoroughly with water
Recent Examples on the Web
Banking is on more solid footing, communications have improved and a steady flow of remittances irrigates the economy. — Mac Margolis, chicagotribune.com, "New U.S. sanctions on Cuba have a silver lining," 20 Aug. 2019 The district now also offers recycled water to help residential customers irrigate during San Diego’s warm season to reduce the use of potable water and to cut water costs. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Olivenhain water district offers free recycled water," 5 Aug. 2019 The final 10% comes from the drawdown of aquifers, such as taking water from the Central Valley of California to irrigate crops. — Diya Chacko, latimes.com, "California’s coast is disappearing, and the debate over what to do about it is in full swing," 11 July 2019 This tends to happen when people are in splashy water parks, jet-skiing, or irrigating their sinuses with tap water that hasn’t been disinfected, boiled, or filtered. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Brain-eating amoeba kills again—here’s how it kills and how to avoid it," 26 July 2019 The tanks typically provide enough water to irrigate her 14 fruit trees through July. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Tanks, swales put rainwater to eco-friendly use," 11 July 2019 If DeLucia and his coauthors are right, farmers will have to start irrigating using sources like lakes, rivers, or underground aquifers. — Sara Harrison, WIRED, "The Midwest's Farms Face an Intense, Crop-Killing Future," 18 June 2019 Nanos added there are eight natural areas that are not maintained or irrigated at the golf club, thereby allowing a habitat for wildlife. — Daniel I. Dorfman, chicagotribune.com, "Glencoe Golf Club encourages kids to connect with nature," 11 June 2019 The crops were tested in three ways with three tomatoes in each planting: one group was irrigated; one was mulched with grass clippings and not irrigated; and one was not irrigated. — oregonlive.com, "Trial gardens show vegetables can be grown without irrigation," 11 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'irrigate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for irrigate
irrigate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of irrigate
: to supply (something, such as land) with water by using artificial means (such as pipes)
medical
: to clean (a wound or a part of the body) with flowing liquid (such as water)
See the full definition for irrigate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
irrigate
verb
ir·ri·gate
| \ ˈir-ə-ˌgāt
\
\
irrigated;
irrigating
Kids Definition of irrigate
1
: to supply (as land) with water by artificial means
irrigate crops
2
: to clean with a flow of liquid
irrigate a wound
irrigate
transitive verb
ir·ri·gate
| \ ˈir-ə-ˌgāt
\
\
irrigated;
irrigating
Medical Definition of irrigate
: to flush (a body part) with a stream of liquid
irrigate the wound with saline to remove debris the eye was irrigated for 10 minutes following chemical exposure
Other Words from irrigate
irrigation
\ ˌir-ə-ˈgā-shən
\
noun
\
noun
Keep scrolling for more