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

Adjective

• au courant
• cool [slang]
• def [slang]
• groovy
• hep
• hip
• in
• mod
• now
• trendy
• turned-on
• with-it

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

The Shark Tank had to be downtown, so downtown had to get bigger. —Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025

Brian Hopkins, 2nd, whose ward includes Streeterville, responded by calling (not for the first time) for moving the existing 10 p.m. curfew for minors who are downtown without an accompanying adult back to 8 p.m. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025

Noun

Sun Sentinel New condo tower, rising 46 stories in downtown Fort Lauderdale, to be tallest in town The 46-story tower, dubbed Andare Residences, is expected to open in 2027. —South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 16 May 2025

Meanwhile, Athena is in downtown Los Angeles calling in a high-rise building collapse that’s happened before her very eyes. —Jennifer Maas, Variety, 16 May 2025

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