down

1 of 8

adverb

ˈdau̇n 

1

a(1)

: toward or in a lower physical position

Don't look down.

Pull down the blind.

(2)

: to a lying or sitting position

Please sit down.

(3)

: toward or to the ground, floor, or bottom

burned the house down

fell down

b

: as a down payment

paid $10 down

c

: on paper

put down what he says

2

: in a direction that is the opposite of up: such as

a

: southward

traveled down to South Africa

b

: to or toward a point away from the speaker or the speaker's point of reference

walked down to my neighbor's house

c

: in or into the stomach

can't keep food down

3

: to a lesser degree, level, or rate

cool down tensions

Try to calm down.

4

: to or toward a lower position in a series

seems to be far down on their agenda

moved down in the pop charts

5

a

: to or in a lower or worse condition or status

students held down by a lack of social support

b

—used to indicate thoroughness or completion

dusted down the house

described him down to his haircut

6

: from a past time

stories passed down by word of mouth

7

: to or in a state of less activity or prominence

scaled down our plans

8

: to a concentrated state

got the report down to three pages

9

: into defeat

voted the motion down

down

2 of 8

preposition

: down (see down entry 1) along, around, through, toward, in, into, or on

fell down the stairs

write down the phone number

down the years

grew up down the block from each other

pacing up and down the room

down

3 of 8

verb

downed; downing; downs

transitive verb

1

: to cause to go or come down (see down entry 1) : such as

a

: to cause to fall by or as if by shooting : bring down sense 1

downed the enemy helicopter

b

: consume sense 3

downing slices of pizza

2

football : to cause (a ball) to be out of play

downed the ball at the five-yard line

3

: defeat

down a proposal

intransitive verb

: to go down

down

4 of 8

adjective

1

a(1)

: occupying a low position

specifically : lying on the ground

down timber

(2)

: directed or going downward

attendance is down

b

: lower in price

c

football : not being in play because of wholly stopped progress or because the officials stop the play

The ball was down.

d

: defeated or trailing an opponent (as in points scored)

down by two runs

e

baseball : out

two down in the top of the third inning

2

a

: reduced or low in activity, frequency, or intensity

a down economy

b

: not operating or able to function

The computer is down.

c

: depressed, dejected

feeling a bit down

also : depressing

a down movie

d

: sick

down with flu

3

: done, finished

eight down and two to go

4

: completely mastered

had her lines down

—often used with pat

got the answers down pat

5

a

slang : cool sense 7

a down dude

b

slang : understanding or supportive of something or someone

—usually used with with

trying to prove that they were down with hip-hop culture

—J. E. White

6

: being on record

you're down for two tickets

down

5 of 8

noun (1)

1

: descent, depression

emotional ups and downs

the ups and downs of the business cycle

2

: an instance of putting down someone (such as an opponent in wrestling)

3

football

a

: a complete play to advance the ball

b

: one of a series of four attempts in American football or three attempts in Canadian football to advance the ball 10 yards

caught the ball on third down

4

chiefly British : dislike, grudge

5

: downer

6

physics : a fundamental quark that has an electric charge of -¹/₃ and that is one of the constituents of a nucleon

down

6 of 8

noun (2)

1

: an undulating usually treeless upland with sparse soil

—usually used in plural

sheep grazing on the grassy downs

2

often capitalized : a sheep of any breed originating in the downs of southern England

down

7 of 8

noun (3)

1

: a covering of soft fluffy feathers

also : these feathers

goose down pillows

2

: something soft and fluffy like down

a trace of down on his cheeks

Down

8 of 8

noun (4)

: down syndrome

—usually used attributively

a Down baby

Phrases

down to the ground

: perfectly, completely

that suits me down to the ground

down on

: having a low opinion of or dislike for

The coach has been down on him lately.

down on one's luck

: experiencing misfortune and especially financial distress

Synonyms

Adverb

• below
• downward
• downwards
• over

Verb

• bowl (down or over)
• drop
• fell
• floor
• knock down
• knock over
• level
• mow (down)
• prostrate

Adjective

• complete
• completed
• concluded
• done
• ended
• finished
• over
• over with
• terminated
• through
• up

Noun (1)

• floss
• fluff
• fur
• fuzz
• lint
• nap
• pile

Noun (2)

• bummer
• downer

Noun (3)

• campo
• champaign
• grassland
• heath
• lea
• ley
• llano
• moor
• pampa
• plain
• prairie
• savanna
• savannah
• steppe
• tundra
• veld
• veldt

Examples of down in a Sentence

Adverb

The land slopes down to the sea.

She called down to her friends in the street below.

They set the cake down on the table.

Lay down your book for a minute.

We watched the sun go down.

We keep our wine collection down in the basement.

What's going on down there?

He fell down and hurt his knee.

Climb down out of that tree!

He knocked him down with one punch.

Preposition

Sweat dripped down her neck.

The children ran down the hill.

She fell down the stairs.

He climbed down the ladder.

He spilled mustard down the front of his shirt.

Her hair hung loosely down her back.

Go down the road and turn left.

We grew up down the block from each other.

The bathroom is halfway down the hall on the right.

His pitches were right down the middle of the plate.

Verb

The storm downed power lines throughout the city.

a large number of downed power lines

They were downing beers and watching the game on TV.

The quarterback downed the ball to stop the clock.

Adjective

The window shades were down.

The candy is down on the bottom shelf.

There was a pile of dirty clothes down on the floor.

She took the down escalator.

These changes should help keep prices down.

Stocks are down again today.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Every night Russian drones distract, expose, and deplete Ukrainian air defenses, and then the cruise and ballistic missiles rain down. —Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024

The legal bombshell drew reactions from the White House on down and could motivate more people to vote in November. —Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024

This one also features an electronic ignition for easy lighting and a thermo couple which shuts the gas supply down if wind puts out the flame. —Kelsey Chapman, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024

It’s revealed that Ansari plays a man who is down on his luck and struggling to make ends meet. —Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024

Bank of America, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase, which reports first quarter earnings on Friday, were all down on Wednesday. —Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024

Put together, the progress on goods and energy costs helped bring inflation way down from a peak of 9.1 percent. —Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024

Loved looking at these pic down thru the years—wow! —Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024

That’s down more than 50% since its peak of $79.38 in late March. —Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024

Preposition

Popular on Variety The new film finds Deadpool (aka Wade Wilson) down and out and working at a used car lot after a pledge to never engage in his former superhero profession. —Matt Donnelly, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024

Please check back again soon for the recorded video. LIVE VIDEO TO BEGIN AFTER AD Loaded: 0% 00:03 Progress: 0% Use up and down arrows to change volume, and spacebar or enter to toggle mute. —Marah Eakin, WIRED, 11 Apr. 2024

After sitting in a hair salon chair for hours, edge control is the finishing touch to slick down the short, delicate hairs around the hairline. —India Espy-Jones, Essence, 11 Apr. 2024

Carrillo's remains were initially found down an embankment along a stretch of California State Route 67, near Poway Road in San Diego County, on Aug. 3, 1986, the sheriff's office said. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024

The central bank is expected to cut rates multiple times this year, but those moves won’t bring borrowing costs down considerably. —Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024

His plane was caught in a storm and went down near Alvord, Texas. —Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2024

Yet regulators 2,000 miles away in Illinois accused him of unlicensed detective work and shut him down. —Daryl James, Orange County Register, 30 Mar. 2024

Ukraine and Western nations have been quick to shut that notion down. —Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 30 Mar. 2024

Verb

The rebels, led by Mr. Kagame, said the Hutu extremists downed the plane as a pretext for genocide. —Abdi Latif Dahir, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024

There’s a chance for severe thunderstorms, which could down trees and powerlines. —Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 2 Apr. 2024

Twenty were related to hunting, including more spears but also finely balanced throwing sticks for downing small game or birds. —Byandrew Curry, science.org, 1 Apr. 2024

The Crimson Tide, who on Thursday downed No. 1 North Carolina, kept up their winning ways. —Jacob Lev, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024

If a kickoff lands in the landing zone but carries into the end zone where it’s downed, the receiving team gets the ball at its 20. —Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024

Over the weekend a powerful weather system battered the tri-state area, with more than 2 feet of snow and downed power lines in some parts. —Patrick Smith, NBC News, 25 Mar. 2024

In Saturday’s quarterfinal-round games, Freed-Hardeman of Tennessee defeated Central Baptist of Arkansas 85-74; Grace (Indiana) downed Evangel 83-76; Langston (Oklahoma) beat Indiana Wesleyan 61-48; and the College of Idaho outlasted Morningside (Iowa) 73-56. —Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2024

According to the weather service, the storm is expected to bring harsh traveling conditions, downed tree branches, traffic delays and chain controls. —Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 21 Mar. 2024

Adjective

The decline follows a down year in 2023 for the automaker in the important U.S. market and comes as automakers in general are grappling with the impact of high interest rates on borrowing money. —Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024

If Wood and Stripling, both former Giants, bounce back from down years and Blackburn can stay healthy, the trio would anchor a rotation that could keep the A’s competitive and allow the franchise’s young starters more time to develop. —Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2024

Complete with a down alternative filling, the mattress topper is incredibly comfortable, according to users. —Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024

Burns, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, is coming off a down year by his standards. —Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 5 Mar. 2024

Many coats are insulated with down feathers, but for those who would rather avoid the cost or the use of animal products, polyester is also a common fill material. —Casey Clark, Parents, 5 Mar. 2024

Best Overall Canada Goose Venture Bucket Hat While Canada Goose is a household name beloved for its down parkas, the leading Canadian outdoor outfitter is more than just one thing—as evidenced by this take on the boonie hat. —William Goodman, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2024

The film follows a down and out actor living in Tokyo, who is hired as the token American guy for a Japanese rental family company providing professional stand-in services. —Brent Lang, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024

The multi-billion dollar screen protector industry would like to keep that on the down low. —Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024

Noun

That is a down from the ‘23 Marlins’ total payroll of $105.4 million that ranked 22nd. —Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024

The job market has been going through major ups and downs over the last few years. —Jack Kelly, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

The 6-foot-3, 346-pound nose tackle should be able to come in on early downs and provide a road block for opposing rush attacks. —Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 27 Mar. 2024

Though the couple stayed married until Joe died in 2018, their union had its ups and downs. —Jacqueline Weiss, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024

In a season filled with plenty of ups and downs, the forward looked back at it fondly. —Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2024

There have been ups and downs since, but last year, the Orioles went 101-61, and they’re seen as a promising young ball club going into the 2024 season. —Emmett Lindner, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024

In a wide-ranging interview, the former child actress — who's been candid about her ups and downs growing up in Hollywood — tells PEOPLE exclusively that she’s made peace with her past. —Alex Ross, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024

The streamer has greenlit Receiver, which like Quarterback will follow several wide receivers (and one tight end) through the ups and downs of the 2023 season. —Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adverb, Preposition, Verb, Adjective, and Noun (1)

Middle English doun, from Old English dūne, short for adūne, of dūne, from a- (from of), of off, from + dūne, dative of dūn hill

Noun (2)

Middle English doun hill, from Old English dūn — see down entry 1

Noun (3)

Middle English doun, from Old Norse dūnn

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Preposition

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Noun (1)

1647, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (4)

1987, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing down

• a chill down your spine
• a step up/down
• back down
• a chill/shiver runs up/down someone's spine
• bed down
• bear down
• bear down on
• been/gone down this/that road before
• break down into
• breathe down one's neck
• bring down
• breathe down someone's neck
• bring the house down
• bring the curtain down on
• bring down the curtain on
• bring down the house
• buckle down
• broken-down
• burn down
• button-down
• call down
• came down on us like a ton of bricks
• change down
• cast down
• chase down
• chow down
• chop down
• clamp down on
• clamp down
• choke down
• come crashing down
• break down
• bog down
• come down
• bow down to (someone or something)
• come down against
• come down from
• boil down
• come down hard on
• come down in favor of
• come down on
• come down on the side of
• come down to
• come down with
• copy down/out
• crack down
• cry down
• cut down
• cut down to size
• deep down (inside)
• die down
• do down
• double down
• down and dirty
• doors down/up/apart
• down-and-out
• down at heel
• down-and-outer
• down at the heel
• down-at-the-heels
• down-bow
• down for the count
• down in the dumps
• down in the mouth
• down-low
• down one's street
• down one's alley
• down on one's luck
• down payment
• down south
• down the drain
• down the line
• down the hatch
• down the middle
• down the pan
• down the plughole
• down the street
• down the river
• down the telephone
• down the road/path to perdition
• down the tube
• down-to-earth
• down to
• down to size
• down to the smallest/last/tiniest detail
• down to the ground
• down-to-the-wire
• down under
• drag down
• down with
• draw down
• dress down
• dress-down day
• dressing-down
• drop-down
• drop-down menu
• dumb down
• face down
• dust oneself down
• fall down
• fall down on the job
• force/ram/shove (something) down someone's throat
• far down
• first down
• get down on one's (hands and) knees
• get down to brass tacks
• get down
• get down and dirty
• get down to work
• get down to business
• force (something) down
• get down to (something)
• get down to the nitty-gritty
• go down in history
• go down
• go down like a lead balloon
• go down the aisle
• go down/like a bomb
• go down on
• go down the tubes
• go down with
• go down to defeat
• going down the pan
• going down the plughole
• gone down the dumper
• grind down
• hand down a decision
• hand-me-down
• hand down
• hold down
• hands down
• have (got) (something) down to a science
• hold down the fort
• hunker down
• keep it down
• keep one's head down
• jump down someone's throat
• keep down
• knock-down, drag-out
• hunt down
• knock down
• knock-down-and-drag-out
• knuckle down
• keep one's voice down
• lay down
• lay down one's life
• lay down one's arms
• lay down the law
• lead one down the garden path
• let down
• let down one's guard
• lead (someone) down/up the garden path
• let one's hair down
• let one's guard down
• let (someone) down easy/gently
• let the side down
• lie down
• load down with
• live down
• look down
• lift down
• look down one's nose at
• look down one's nose
• look down on
• lie down on the job
• make a chill/shiver run up/down someone's spine
• low-down
• melt down
• nail down
• mark down
• mow down
• note down
• on the down-low
• pass (something) down
• pat down
• phase down
• pin down
• pipe down
• play down
• plop down
• plunk down
• pull-down menu
• pull down
• pouring your money down the plughole
• put down the phone
• put down roots
• put down
• put (someone) down for
• put (someone) down as
• put the phone down on (someone)
• put one's foot down
• put someone's name down
• put (something) down to
• quiet down
• quieten down
• reach-me-down
• ring down the curtain
• (right) up/down someone's alley
• run down
• run one's eye down
• scale-down
• scarf down
• sell down the river
• send a chill/shiver up/down someone's spine
• send down
• set down
• send shivers/chills up (and down) someone's spine
• shake down
• settle (someone or something) down
• settle down
• sit-down
• simmer down
• shut down
• shout down
• slick back/down
• sitting down
• smash down
• slim down
• slap down
• stare down
• stand down
• step down
• swear up and down
• strike down
• stop down
• stripped-down
• suit (someone) down to the ground
• take down
• talk down
• take/knock/bring someone down a peg
• take (something) lying down
• talk down to
• tear down
• the curtain comes down on
• teem down
• throw down
• throw down the gauntlet
• thumbs-down
• tie-down
• top-down
• toned-down
• touch the ball down
• touch down
• trickle-down
• trickle-down theory
• turn down
• turn (something) upside down
• upside down
• up and down
• upside-down cake
• trim down
• water down
• walk down the aisle
• wash down
• wave down (a vehicle)
• wear down
• weigh down
• went/came (right) down to the wire
• went down the pan
• went down a treat
• wet down
• when it comes (right) down to it
• when the chips are down
• wind down
• whittle down
• when you come (right) down to it
• When you get right down to it
• wipe down
• with one's pants down
• write down
• with one's trousers down
• bucket down
• batten down
• batter down
• climb down
• come down the pike
• down-market
• come down in the world
• hull down
• down bad
• down-ballot
• down-home
• down-easter
• drill down
• down east
• pay down
• plonk down
• shoot down
• saw down
• buttoned-down
• gun down
• drop-down list
• hoot down
• trade down
• roll down
• come down the pipeline
• down the tubes
• down the road
• down-at-heels
• went down the plughole
• batten down the hatches
• Oxford down
• down in the trenches
• the down-low
• down the pike
• touch down the ball
• down on
• voted down

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Kids Definition

down

1 of 7 noun

ˈdau̇n 

: a rolling grassy upland

—usually used in plural

down

2 of 7 adverb

1

a

: toward or in a lower position

b

: to a lying or sitting position

c

: toward or to the ground, floor, or bottom

2

: as a down payment

paid $10 down

3

: in a direction opposite to up

add the numbers across and down

4

: to or in a lower or worse condition

held down by a bad economy

5

: from a past time

heirlooms that have been handed down

6

: to or in a state of less activity

excitement died down

down

3 of 7 adjective

1

a

: being in a low position

especially : lying on the ground

b

: directed or going downward

a down escalator

c

: being at a lower level

sales are down

2

a

: low in spirits : sad

feeling a bit down

b

: sick sense 1a

down with flu

3

: being finished or come to an end

eight down and two to go

down

4 of 7 preposition

: down along : down through : down toward : down in : down into : down on

down the road

down

5 of 7 noun

1

: a low or falling period

the ups and downs of life

2

: one of a series of four plays that a football team gets to advance the ball ten yards

down

6 of 7 verb

1

: to go or cause to go or come down

2

: consume sense 3

3

: to cause (a football) to be out of play

down

7 of 7 noun

1

: a covering of soft fluffy feathers

2

: something soft and fluffy like down

Etymology

Noun

Old English dūn "hill"

Adverb

Old English dūne "down," shortened from adūne, literally, "off the hill," from a- "off" and dūne, form of dūn "hill"

Noun

Middle English doun "down, feathers"; of Norse origin

Geographical Definition

Down

geographical name

ˈdau̇n 

1

district of southeastern Northern Ireland bordering the Irish Sea; established 1974 area 250 square miles (650 square kilometers), population 69,750

2

traditional county of southeastern Northern Ireland