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

In addition to the savings a large down payment can offer, there are other perks, too. —Aly J Yale, CBS News, 6 May 2026

Fort Worth’s Homebuyer Assistance Program offers eligible first-time buyers up to $25,000 for down payment and closing costs. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 May 2026

Gaston said Turner arranged jobs and helped pay for home down payments for any Braves players who lived in Atlanta during the offseason. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 6 May 2026

Remember, this calculation does not include the large down payment required to achieve a relatively low monthly house payment. —Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 4 May 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