comedown

1 of 2

noun

come·​down ˈkəm-ˌdau̇n 

: a descent in rank or dignity

come down

2 of 2

verb

came down; come down; coming down; comes down

intransitive verb

1

: to lose or fall in estate or condition

has come down in the world

2

a

: to pass by tradition

a story that has come down from medieval times

b

: to pass from a usually high source

Word came down that the strike was over.

3

: to place oneself in opposition

came down hard on gambling

4

a

: to deal with a subject directly

When you come down to it, we all depend on others.

b

: to reduce itself : amount

it comes down to this

5

: to become ill

came down with measles

6

: come out sense 2a

7

: go on, happen

what's coming down

Synonyms of comedown

Noun

• demise
• down
• downfall
• setback

Verb

• happen
• be
• come
• occur
• come about

Examples of comedown in a Sentence

Noun

For a man who was once a very popular actor, working in a nightclub is quite a comedown.

after a rapid rise to stardom, the rock band's comedown was just as quick

Verb

let's wait and see what comes down at the meeting

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Van Epps held the deep-red seat, but his roughly nine-point win was a dramatic comedown from former Representative Mark Green’s 21-point margin. —Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025

Like a skyscraper built on unstable ground, startups that can’t support overly lofty valuations risk a painful comedown. —Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2025

Verb

One of the boarders, Charlie, came down to buy a box of cereal and some milk. —Literary Hub, 8 Dec. 2025

This decision came down to our family's safety and the importance of dedicating all of my focus on enacting the affordability agenda New Yorkers voted for. —Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1840, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for comedown

• chinatown
• tumbledown
• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown

Kids Definition

comedown

1 of 2 noun

come·​down ˈkəm-ˌdau̇n 

: a falling in status, position, or reputation

come down

2 of 2 verb

(ˌ)kəm-ˈdau̇n

: to fall sick

came down with the flu

Legal Definition

come down

intransitive verb

came down; coming down

: to be announced

the decision came down from the Supreme Court