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

Other champions, like season 10’s Dan Gheesling, took a different approach, investing most of the prize and limiting splurges to practical purchases, like a condo down payment. —Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025

The membership system offered four programs — Habitual, Out-of-Towner, the Entertainer and Corporate — with each tier requiring a down payment and monthly fees ranging from $50 to $500. —Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 29 Sep. 2025

From around 2018 through 2023, Rubin paid the rent on Powers’ Manhattan apartment, her children’s private school tuition, her credit card bills and the down payment on her Texas home. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2025

More than 6 out of 10 (63%) parents pay ongoing expenses like living costs and phone bills for their adult children, and 76% have either paid or plan to pay for major one-time expenses like a wedding or down payment on a home, the survey showed. —Medora Lee, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025

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