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Definition of downbeat
1 : the downward stroke of a conductor indicating the principally accented note of a measure of music; also : the first beat of a measure
2 : a decline in activity or prosperity
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Recent Examples of downbeat from the Web
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Some Ewe rhythms have a slippery, collapsing quality, an amorphous relationship to any easily recognizable downbeat.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'downbeat'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of downbeat
1869
Examples of downbeat in a Sentence
a downbeat prediction for the company's sales performance in the upcoming year
Recent Examples of downbeat from the Web
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No one outside the festival circuit has either the inclination or the constitution to watch them all, while the options can look indistinguishably downbeat even to the conscientious.
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The movie is less satisfying when conveying the more downbeat material, showing an unappealing streak of self-righteousness.
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Loach is that kind of a filmmaker, a downbeat guy with a social conscience whose films deal with the hardships of working-class life.
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Though downbeat on the future, Americans' sentiment about their present circumstances is on the upswing, with 58 percent describing the current economic situation as good.
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Logan Hugh Jackman bears his adamantium claws one last time as Marvel's Wolverine in James Mangold's Logan, which—after 2013's samurai-themed The Wolverine—relocates the character in dusty, downbeat Western terrain.
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More experienced viewers probably will, for their part, spot the movie’s downbeat twists from a mile away.
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Adding to the monthly report's downbeat numbers was an adjustment of initially reported job gains in March of 1,300 to just 600.
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Chipman and the report’s authors were downbeat about the prospects for reducing these levels of violence on several counts.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'downbeat'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of downbeat
1950
DOWNBEAT Defined for English Language Learners
downbeat
playDefinition of downbeat for English Language Learners
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: the downward movement that a conductor makes to show which note is played with the greatest stress or force
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: the first beat of a measure of music
downbeat
Definition of downbeat for English Language Learners
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: sad or depressing : not happy or hopeful
DOWNBEAT Defined for Kids
downbeat
playDefinition of downbeat for Students
: the first beat of a measure of music
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