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thin down

B1 neutral separable both
In simple words

To make something less thick — like adding water to paint to make it runnier — or to lose weight.

Literal meaning: To make something physically thinner.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To make a liquid or mixture less thick by adding water or another liquid.

"If the batter is too stiff, thin it down with a little milk."

Grammar: separable
2 B2 idiomatic informal

To lose weight and become noticeably slimmer.

"He'd really thinned down since the last time I saw him."

Usage notes

Common in cooking and art (thinning paint or sauces). Also used informally to describe someone losing weight. 'Thin down' for weight loss is somewhat informal; 'slim down' or 'lose weight' are more standard.

Commonly used with

paint sauce mixture waist figure stock

Forms

Base
thin down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
thins down
he/she/it
Past simple
thined down
yesterday
Past participle
thined down
have + pp
-ing form
thining down
continuous

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Synonyms

dilute water down slim down reduce lighten

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