downtown

1 of 2

adjective

down·​town ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇n 

1

: of, relating to, or located in the lower part or business center of a city or town

2

: hip, trendy

downtown music

downtown adverb

downtown

2 of 2

noun

down·​town ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇n  ˈdau̇n-ˌtau 

: the lower part of a city or town

also : the main business district or central part of a city or town

downtowner

ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇-nər 

noun

Synonyms of downtown

Adjective

• hip
• now
• fashionable
• in
• stylish
• trendy
• chic

Examples of downtown in a Sentence

Adjective

the downtown clientele of this bistro come to be seen, and the food is only an afterthought

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Almost everything on this list is directly downtown, with two or so things being a 10- to 15-minute drive away. —Hannah Kirby, jsonline.com, 20 Dec. 2025

Bond Street, another restaurant in the center, has been downtown on Bond Street for 22 years. —David Moin, Footwear News, 10 Dec. 2025

Noun

Its sprawling downtown footprint spans 2 million square feet across four buildings. —Nick Wooten, Arkansas Online, 6 Jan. 2026

The developers won early support from local officials, who aspire to bring more entertainment to the city and deliver Rancho Cordova the makings of a downtown. —JosÉ Luis Villegas, Sacbee.com, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1845, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for downtown

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown
• knockdown

Kids Definition

downtown

1 of 2 adverb

down·​town ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇n 

: to, toward, or in the main business district

downtown

2 of 2 adjective

-ˌtau̇n

: situated downtown