downstream

adverb or adjective down·stream \ ˈdau̇n-ˈstrēm \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Definition of downstream

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

See downstream defined for English-language learners

See downstream defined for kids

Recent Examples of downstream from the Web

That meant most of the water flowed downstream unused, because the crops weren’t mature.

— john fialka, Scientific American, "A Wyoming Reservation Shows the New Face of Drought," 6 June 2018
First, the basics of the fight One side claims water — specifically, water that Boise area irrigators have a right to use — is being released downstream early in the season, and that water is being counted against their rights.

— melissa davlin and seth ogilvie, idahostatesman, "These reservoirs keep Boise from flooding. But irrigators don't like how they're run.," 4 June 2018
Once the reporters invited to Pruitt’s speech left the event, government officials dug into details of the water contamination problem that has affected military bases and towns downstream from chemical plants nationwide.

— dino grandoni, Washington Post, "The Energy 202: EPA holds summit on dangerous chemicals after delayed report," 22 May 2018
The cases in Mbandaka, a port city on the Congo river, have raised concerns that the virus could spread downstream to the capital Kinshasa, which has a population of 10 million.

— NBC News, "Congo begins Ebola vaccinations with 4,000 doses already shipped," 20 May 2018
Another report, by the authority which administers the scheme, concluded that irrigation in the basin’s upper reaches was still depriving those farther downstream, like Mr McBride, of water.

— The Economist, "Australia’s biggest river is running dry, despite plans to save it," 19 May 2018
While two brown bear teenagers kept their distance farther downstream, two black bears suddenly appeared on our side of the creek at the edges of our deck.

— david g. molyneaux, miamiherald, "You want Alaska up close and wild? Watch out for hungry bears and calving glaciers | Miami Herald," 12 May 2018
In large part, that’s because the remaining spring Chinook tend to spawn in Klamath tributaries more than 100 kilometers downstream from the dams.

— katie langin, Science | AAAS, "Salmon spawn fierce debate over protecting endangered species, thanks to a single gene," 4 May 2018
Usually this shift can be translated into various autoimmune diseases downstream.

— marisa meltzer, Town & Country, "How Habib Sadeghi Became a Guru For the Goop Set," 23 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'downstream.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of downstream

1706

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Financial Definition of DOWNSTREAM

downstream

adverb or adjective

What It Is

Downstream refers to the benefits (or costs) that will ultimately result from decisions made today.

How It Works

In finance, a series of investments might be made with the anticipation that at a point in time in the future these efforts will yield a series of returns. These returns occur after the initial investments. As a result, they are referred to as downstream benefits. Similarly, investments can have downstream "costs" as well. The expectation is that the downstream benefits will outweigh the downstream costs.

At the same time, because the future is hard to predict, downstream effects are often unanticipated, setting off unintended costs and consequences.

Why It Matters

It is important to consider the "downstream" effects of an investment decision since it will impact ones future economic performance.

Source: Investing Answers

DOWNSTREAM Defined for English Language Learners

downstream

adverb

Definition of downstream for English Language Learners

: in the direction in which a stream, river, etc., flows

DOWNSTREAM Defined for Kids

downstream

adverb down·stream \ ˈdau̇n-ˈstrēm \

Definition of downstream for Students

: in the direction a stream is flowing

paddling downstream

Medical Dictionary

downstream

adverb or adjective down·stream \ ˌdau̇n-ˈstrēm \

medical Definition of downstream

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 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, 7 Nov. 1997

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, 24 Feb. 2005