downstream

adverb or adjective

down·​stream ˈdau̇n-ˈstrēm How to pronounce downstream (audio)
1
: in the direction of or nearer to the mouth of a stream
floating downstream
located two miles downstream
2
: in or toward the latter stages of a usually industrial process or the stages (such as marketing) after manufacture
improving profits downstream
downstream products
3
biochemistry : toward the end of a series of cellular processes : following a linked molecular event occurring in a sequence
But by looking downstream of the tumor suppressors [genes] at the proteins they influence, drug developers hope to find good targets.Marcia Barinaga

Examples of downstream in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The dam routes water into a canal that flows downstream into Coe Pond in Ansonia, where a second generating unit once stood. Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 26 June 2025 As federal supervision recedes, risk flows downstream. Paul Davis, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025 The incident took place downstream of Paiute Farms Wash in the San Juan River in San Juan County, Utah, rangers said. Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 12 June 2025 Water may flow downstream, but salmon swim upstream, so keeping environmental provisions in play can give the United States leverage, Ms. Cosens said. Karen Weise, New York Times, 13 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for downstream

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of downstream was in 1591

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Downstream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downstream. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

downstream

adverb or adjective
down·​stream ˈdau̇n-ˈstrēm How to pronounce downstream (audio)
: in the direction a stream is flowing

Medical Definition

downstream

adverb or adjective
down·​stream ˌdau̇n-ˈstrēm How to pronounce downstream (audio)
1
: in the same direction along a molecule of DNA or RNA as that in which transcription and translation take place and toward the end having a hydroxyl group attached to the position labeled 3′ in the terminal nucleotide
a nucleotide sequence located downstream from the regulatory gene
effects on the expression of downstream genes
compare upstream sense 1
2
: toward the end of a series of cellular processes : following a linked molecular event occurring in a sequence
But by looking downstream of the tumor suppressors [genes] at the proteins they influence, drug developers hope to find good targets.Marcia Barinaga, Science
The tyrosine kinase activity of phosphorylated EGFR [epidermal growth factor receptor] in cancer cells results in the phosphorylation of downstream proteins that incite cell proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and inhibition of apoptosis.Jonathan E. Dowell and John D. Minna, The New England Journal of Medicine

More from Merriam-Webster on downstream

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