down payment

noun

: a part of the full price paid at the time of purchase or delivery with the balance to be paid later

broadly : the first step in a process

Examples of down payment in a Sentence

She made a 10 percent down payment on the car.

We put a down payment on the house.

Recent Examples on the Web

Back in September, Valdez Streaty said, those shopping for EVs were more likely to find a monthly lease off in the $200 or below range, with lower down payments. —Susan Tompor, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025

In late 2017, when bitcoin surged 1,000 percent in value to nearly $20,000 a coin, there was a flurry of excitement about how crypto might replace traditional down payments and mortgages. —Kim Velsey, Curbed, 17 Oct. 2025

Back in September, Valdez Streaty said, those shopping for EVs were more likely to find a monthly lease off in the $200 or below range, with lower down payments. —Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 15 Oct. 2025

But Costanzo used the money toward a down payment on a condominium purchase, the indictment says. —Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for down payment

• copayment
• embayment
• nonpayment
• prepayment
• repayment
• claimant
• overpayment
• underpayment

Kids Definition

down payment

noun

: a part of the full price paid at the time of purchase or delivery with the remainder to be paid later