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 2

7

: go on, happen

what's coming down

Synonyms

Noun

• decline
• dégringolade
• demise
• descent
• down
• downfall
• fall
• flameout
• Götterdämmerung

Verb

• be
• befall
• betide
• chance
• come
• come about
• come off
• cook
• do
• go down [slang]
• go on
• hap
• happen
• occur
• pass
• transpire

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

But her return to the drudgery of chemotherapy several days later was a difficult comedown. —Katherine Rosman, New York Times, 1 May 2025

For both Tkachuk brothers, the spring has been a bit of a comedown since then. —Becky Sullivan, NPR, 18 Apr. 2025

Verb

Then, when rates do come down and investors go looking for higher income, the value of these funds’ bonds—and indeed the value of these funds themselves—should rise. —Michael Foster, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025

The final decision came down to online safety and the need to maintain professional relationships with her clients. —Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 25 May 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