downstream

adverb or adjective

down·stream | \ ˈdau̇n-ˈstrēm

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

Examples of downstream in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web As Jeff crossed one glassy creek, wind sent him careening downstream and slammed him to the surface of the ice. — Marc Lester, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Apr. 2022 For many years, researchers assumed these tiny bits of trash entered rivers, where they were carried downstream to the ocean in a relatively short amount of time. — Kimberly Hickok, Popular Mechanics, 1 Apr. 2022 And at least some of those water savings could trickle downstream to the Great Salt Lake. — Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Feb. 2022 The water, moved through Diversion Lake 4 miles downstream from Medina, is transported in an irrigation canal system that stretches south past Castroville and into Devine. — Elena Bruess, San Antonio Express-News, 30 Jan. 2022 For now, more than a million metric tons of sand will stay parked on the riverbed at Lees Ferry, where some of it will creep downstream. — Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 2 Nov. 2021 This moisture influx sustains life by seeding thick bands of clouds that keep water locked in the lush forest and flowing into river that supply communities downstream. — Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 29 Dec. 2021 How does that downstream affect one’s own self-esteem? — Benoit Morenne, WSJ, 9 Jan. 2022 Meanwhile, multiple vehicles were reportedly swept into the river and carried downstream. — Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2021 See More

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.

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Dictionary Entries Near downstream

downstate

downstream

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Statistics for downstream

Last Updated

6 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Downstream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downstream. Accessed 17 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for downstream

downstream

adverb

down·stream | \ ˈdau̇n-ˈstrēm

Kids Definition of downstream

: in the direction a stream is flowing paddling downstream

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 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