down·town
ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇n 
1
: of, relating to, or located in the lower part or business center of a city or town
downtown
adverb
down·town
ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇n
ˈdau̇n-ˌtau
ˈdau̇n-ˌtau
: the lower part of a city or town
also
: the main business district or central part of a city or town
Synonyms
Examples of downtown in a Sentence
Adjective
the downtown clientele of this bistro come to be seen, and the food is only an afterthought
Recent Examples on the Web
Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024
The biggest projects will be downtown, such as the 431-unit West building on Union Street, requiring a large labor force to get everything done.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Jan. 2024
Doug Robson's downtown Mexican joint remains a standby.
—Jill Cassidy, The Arizona Republic, 16 Jan. 2024
In November, Kohl’s opened a new store in the downtown Milwaukee area and initiated its Black Friday deals weeks before Black Friday.
—Ricardo Torres, Journal Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2024
The Culinary Nearly half of Claremont’s 80 restaurants are downtown, ranging from traditional college-town fare (pizza, burgers, tacos and frozen yogurt) to international cuisine.
—Sam McManis, Sacramento Bee, 25 Jan. 2024
And there are fewer people downtown during the workday — even though nights and weekends are bustling.
—Detroit Free Press, 3 Jan. 2024
In 1866, my mother’s great-grandparents Eugene and Mary Robinson Bremond bought a house and property on a hill overlooking the Colorado River, in what’s now downtown Austin, Texas.
—David Owen, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2024
Elo-Rivera suggested last January that San Diego lobby the state to lift a 50-year-old ban on pay toilets so the city could generate revenue to pay for more downtown public restrooms.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2023
Stacy Ryburn, arkansasonline.com, 9 Apr. 2024
Country music fans and those seeking celestial wonder were converging in the Texas capital city as the CMT Awards were taking place downtown that night and the very next day, Austin stood to be in the path of totality for a total solar eclipse.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
The kitchen is in the basement of a building in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist complex downtown, and guests dine in a room on the first floor.
—Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2024
In 2013, then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed a casino deal for the Karuk to build a gambling hall on a hill overlooking downtown Yreka, easy for drivers to spot from Interstate 5.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Inside the Moody Amphitheatre in downtown Austin, totality was a little underwhelming, as the cloud cover grew thicker by the minute, until the shrinking sun became completely obscured about 10 minutes before the darkness really kicked in.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Curious tourists swung by the city’s downtown and riverfront to get a firsthand look at the ongoing conflict between Texas and the federal government.
—Arelis R. Hernández, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
In Bloomington, streets were clearer than usual during the morning commute hours, with plenty of parking open on the downtown square.
—Jenny Porter Tilley, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Apr. 2024
Colin Gilbert, 80, of Marina del Rey, pleaded guilty in January in downtown Los Angeles to one count of making false statements, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2024
Adjective
For the stadium to be downtown, Jackson County would have to have new leases negotiated with the Royals and the Chiefs by January.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024
The biggest projects will be downtown, such as the 431-unit West building on Union Street, requiring a large labor force to get everything done.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Jan. 2024
Doug Robson's downtown Mexican joint remains a standby.
—Jill Cassidy, The Arizona Republic, 16 Jan. 2024
In November, Kohl’s opened a new store in the downtown Milwaukee area and initiated its Black Friday deals weeks before Black Friday.
—Ricardo Torres, Journal Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2024
The Culinary Nearly half of Claremont’s 80 restaurants are downtown, ranging from traditional college-town fare (pizza, burgers, tacos and frozen yogurt) to international cuisine.
—Sam McManis, Sacramento Bee, 25 Jan. 2024
And there are fewer people downtown during the workday — even though nights and weekends are bustling.
—Detroit Free Press, 3 Jan. 2024
In 1866, my mother’s great-grandparents Eugene and Mary Robinson Bremond bought a house and property on a hill overlooking the Colorado River, in what’s now downtown Austin, Texas.
—David Owen, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2024
Elo-Rivera suggested last January that San Diego lobby the state to lift a 50-year-old ban on pay toilets so the city could generate revenue to pay for more downtown public restrooms.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2023
Noun
In other business, commissioners voted 7-0 to support a planned zoning district for a 120-room hotel on the southern end of the downtown Ramble's civic plaza.
—Stacy Ryburn, arkansasonline.com, 9 Apr. 2024
Country music fans and those seeking celestial wonder were converging in the Texas capital city as the CMT Awards were taking place downtown that night and the very next day, Austin stood to be in the path of totality for a total solar eclipse.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
The kitchen is in the basement of a building in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist complex downtown, and guests dine in a room on the first floor.
—Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2024
In 2013, then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed a casino deal for the Karuk to build a gambling hall on a hill overlooking downtown Yreka, easy for drivers to spot from Interstate 5.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Inside the Moody Amphitheatre in downtown Austin, totality was a little underwhelming, as the cloud cover grew thicker by the minute, until the shrinking sun became completely obscured about 10 minutes before the darkness really kicked in.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Curious tourists swung by the city’s downtown and riverfront to get a firsthand look at the ongoing conflict between Texas and the federal government.
—Arelis R. Hernández, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
In Bloomington, streets were clearer than usual during the morning commute hours, with plenty of parking open on the downtown square.
—Jenny Porter Tilley, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Apr. 2024
Colin Gilbert, 80, of Marina del Rey, pleaded guilty in January in downtown Los Angeles to one count of making false statements, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'downtown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near downtown
Cite this Entry
“Downtown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downtown. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
downtown
1 of 2 adverb
down·town
ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇n
: to, toward, or in the main business district
downtown
2 of 2 adjective-ˌtau̇n
: situated downtown
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