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

There are also options for affordable down payments and monthly payments to help your coverage fit your budget. —Liz Knueven, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026

Those higher costs, Fairweather noted, are prohibiting young adults from building up savings to afford an eventual down payment on a home. —Max Rego, The Hill, 19 Apr. 2026

The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (BNY) is one recent employer to enter this space, pledging down payment assistance to eligible US employees, according to an April 8 statement. —Courtney Vinopal, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026

To ensure this is met, Steffy said use the savings from no tax on tips during the wait and pay down debt or save money for a larger down payment so the house buying experience goes smoothly and is assured. —Medora Lee, USA Today, 15 Apr. 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