down·beat
ˈdau̇n-ˌbēt 
1
: the downward stroke of a conductor indicating the principally accented note of a measure of music
also
: the first beat of a measure
2
: a decline in activity or prosperity
: pessimistic, gloomy
a downbeat assessment
Examples of downbeat in a Sentence
Adjective
a downbeat prediction for the company's sales performance in the upcoming year
Recent Examples on the Web
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2025
Still, at a time companies are already skittish about going public amid market volatility, the downbeat offering doesn’t give much assurance.
—Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Dwight Garner, New York Times, 13 May 2025
This underperformance can be attributed to a downbeat Q4 report and a pessimistic outlook shared by the company in February, which negatively impacted investor sentiment.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
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Noun
Economist Jonathan Pingle at UBS said the downbeat forecast isn’t merely a function of tariffs but rather a broader view of weakness in the labor market and consumer spending and tighter expectations for fiscal spending.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2025
Still, at a time companies are already skittish about going public amid market volatility, the downbeat offering doesn’t give much assurance.
—Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
His father was a mostly unsuccessful lawyer, a downbeat man who also worked as a shopkeeper, postmaster and judge.
—Dwight Garner, New York Times, 13 May 2025
This underperformance can be attributed to a downbeat Q4 report and a pessimistic outlook shared by the company in February, which negatively impacted investor sentiment.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for downbeat
Cite this Entry
“Downbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downbeat. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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