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

Between today and March 16, first-generation homebuyers in California can apply for Dream for All, a down payment loan of up to $150,000, offered by the California Housing Finance Agency. —Amancai Biraben, Daily News, 23 Feb. 2026

Other committee recommendations around housing mobility included starting home share pilots, creating down payment assistance programs and building more pathways to home ownership. —R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026

The builders would receive rebates on impact and permit fees, while homebuyers would get $45,000 in down payment assistance, with a further $10,000 given to first responders. —Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2026

But the actual down payment to Magnum Towers appears to have been made in the spring or summer of 2022, records show. —Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 20 Feb. 2026

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