down

verb

downed; downing; downs

transitive verb

1

: to cause to go or come down (see down entry 1): such as

a

: to cause to fall by or as if by shooting : bring down sense 1

downed the enemy helicopter

b

: consume sense 3

downing slices of pizza

2

American football : to cause (a ball) to be out of play

downed the ball at the five-yard line

3

: defeat

down a proposal

intransitive verb

: to go down

Synonyms of down

• drop
• fell
• floor
• hit
• smack
• topple

Examples of down in a Sentence

The storm downed power lines throughout the city.

a large number of downed power lines

They were downing beers and watching the game on TV.

The quarterback downed the ball to stop the clock.

Recent Examples on the Web

Ukraine has retained roughly the same interception rates for drones as before the recent escalation, downing around 90% of them each month and using electronic warfare to divert some munitions away from populated areas. —Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 4 June 2026

Visitation has now downed the second- and third-seeded teams in the Class 2A field. —Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 4 June 2026

Report downed power lines to the police. —Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 June 2026

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 354 Ukrainian drones overnight. —ABC News, 3 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing down

• a chill down your spine
• a chill/shiver runs up/down someone's spine
• a step up/down
• back down
• batten down
• batten down the hatches
• batter down
• bear down
• bear down on
• bed down
• been/gone down this/that road before
• bog down
• boil down
• bow down to (someone or something)
• break down
• break down into
• breathe down one's neck
• breathe down someone's neck
• bring down
• bring down the curtain on
• bring down the house
• bring the curtain down on
• bring the house down
• broken-down
• bucket down
• buckle down
• burn down
• button-down
• buttoned-down
• buy-down
• call down
• came down on us like a ton of bricks
• cast down
• change down
• chase down
• choke down
• chop down
• chow down
• clamp down
• clamp down on
• climb down
• come crashing down
• come down
• come down against
• come down from
• come down hard on
• come down in favor of
• come down in the world
• come down on
• come down on the side of
• come down the pike
• come down the pipeline
• come down to
• come down with
• copy down/out
• crack down
• cry down
• cut down
• cut down to size
• deep down
• die down
• do down
• doors down/up/apart
• double down
• down and dirty
• down-and-out
• down-and-outer
• down at heel
• down-at-heels
• down at the heel
• down-at-the-heels
• down bad
• down-ballot
• down-bow
• down east
• down-easter
• down for the count
• down-home
• down in the dumps
• down in the mouth
• down in the trenches
• down-low
• down-market
• down on
• down one's alley
• down one's street
• down on one's luck
• down payment
• down south
• down the drain
• down the hatch
• down-the-line
• down the middle
• down the pan
• down the pike
• down the plughole
• down the river
• down the road
• down the road/path to perdition
• down the street
• down the telephone
• down the tube
• down the tubes
• down to
• down to a science
• down-to-earth
• down to size
• down to the ground
• down to the smallest/last/tiniest detail
• down-to-the-wire
• down under
• down with
• drag down
• draw down
• dress down
• dress-down day
• dressing-down
• drill down
• drop-down
• drop-down list
• drop-down menu
• dumb down
• dust oneself down
• face down
• fall down
• fall down on the job
• far down
• first down
• force/ram/shove (something) down someone's throat
• force (something) down
• get down
• get down and dirty
• get down on one's (hands and) knees
• get down to brass tacks
• get down to business
• get down to (something)
• get down to the nitty-gritty
• get down to work
• go down
• go down in history
• go down/like a bomb
• go down like a lead balloon
• go down on
• go down the aisle
• go down the tubes
• go down to defeat
• go down with
• going down the pan
• going down the plughole
• gone down the dumper
• grind down
• gun down
• hand down
• hand down a decision
• hand-me-down
• hands down
• have (got) (something) down to a science
• hold down
• hold down the fort
• hoot down
• hull down
• hunker down
• hunt down
• jump down someone's throat
• keep down
• keep it down
• keep one's head down
• keep one's voice down
• knock down
• knock-down-and-drag-out
• knock-down, drag-out
• knuckle down
• lay down
• lay down one's arms
• lay down one's life
• lay down the law
• lead one down the garden path
• lead (someone) down/up the garden path
• let down
• let down one's guard
• let one's guard down
• let one's hair down
• let (someone) down easy/gently
• let the side down
• lie down
• lie down on the job
• lift down
• live down
• load down with
• look down
• look down on
• look down one's nose
• look down one's nose at
• low-down
• make a chill/shiver run up/down someone's spine
• mark down
• melt down
• mow down
• nail down
• note down
• on the down-low
• Oxford down
• pass (something) down
• pat down
• pay down
• phase down
• pin down
• pipe down
• play down
• plonk down
• plop down
• plunk down
• pouring your money down the plughole
• pull down
• pull-down menu
• put down
• put down roots
• put down the phone
• put one's foot down
• put (someone) down as
• put (someone) down for
• put someone's name down
• put (something) down to
• put the phone down on (someone)
• quiet down
• quieten down
• reach-me-down
• (right) up/down someone's alley
• ring down the curtain
• roll down
• run down
• run one's eye down
• saw down
• scale-down
• scarf down
• sell down the river
• send a chill/shiver up/down someone's spine
• send down
• send shivers/chills up (and down) someone's spine
• set down
• settle down
• settle (someone or something) down
• shake down
• shoot down
• shout down
• shut down
• simmer down
• sit-down
• sitting down
• slap down
• slick back/down
• slim down
• smash down
• stand down
• stare down
• step down
• stop down
• strike down
• stripped-down
• suit (someone) down to the ground
• swear up and down
• take down
• take/knock/bring someone down a peg
• take (something) lying down
• talk down
• talk down to
• tear down
• teem down
• the curtain comes down on
• the down-low
• throw down
• throw down the gauntlet
• thumbs-down
• tie-down
• toned-down
• top-down
• touch down
• touch down the ball
• touch the ball down
• trade down
• trickle-down
• trickle-down theory
• trim down
• turn down
• turn (something) upside down
• up and down
• upside down
• upside-down cake
• voted down
• walk down the aisle
• wash down
• water down
• wave down (a vehicle)
• wear down
• weigh down
• went/came (right) down to the wire
• went down a treat
• went down the pan
• went down the plughole
• wet down
• when it comes (right) down to it
• when the chips are down
• when you come (right) down to it
• When you get right down to it
• whittle down
• wind down
• wipe down
• with one's pants down
• with one's trousers down
• write down

Rhymes for down

• bown
• clown
• crown
• drown
• frown
• gown
• lown
• noun
• town
• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown

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Kids Definition

down

1 of 7 noun

ˈdau̇n 

: a rolling grassy upland

—usually used in plural

down

2 of 7 adverb

1

a

: toward or in a lower position

b

: to a lying or sitting position

c

: toward or to the ground, floor, or bottom

2

: as a down payment

paid $10 down

3

: in a direction opposite to up

add the numbers across and down

4

: to or in a lower or worse condition

held down by a bad economy

5

: from a past time

heirlooms that have been handed down

6

: to or in a state of less activity

excitement died down

down

3 of 7 adjective

1

a

: being in a low position

especially : lying on the ground

b

: directed or going downward

a down escalator

c

: being at a lower level

sales are down

2

a

: low in spirits : sad

feeling a bit down

b

: sick sense 1a

down with flu

3

: being finished or come to an end

eight down and two to go

down

4 of 7 preposition

: down along : down through : down toward : down in : down into : down on

down the road

down

5 of 7 noun

1

: a low or falling period

the ups and downs of life

2

: one of a series of four plays that a football team gets to advance the ball ten yards

down

6 of 7 verb

1

: to go or cause to go or come down

2

: consume sense 3

3

: to cause (a football) to be out of play

down

7 of 7 noun

1

: a covering of soft fluffy feathers

2

: something soft and fluffy like down

Etymology

Old English dūn "hill"

Old English dūne "down," shortened from adūne, literally, "off the hill," from a- "off" and dūne, form of dūn "hill"

Middle English doun "down, feathers"; of Norse origin