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

• 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

So the downtown Asian staple moved into a ghost kitchen 13 miles away in Meridian. —Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 11 Aug. 2025

A day of concerts continued as planned in the downtown Milwaukee park July 12. —Piet Levy, jsonline.com, 13 July 2025

Noun

Both downtown Janesville and the city's south side are considered food deserts due to a lack of accessible grocery stores with affordable, fresh produce options. —Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025

During the homecoming, Harrison spoke at Middletown schools and thousands of people cheered her victory at a rally downtown, including Jerry Lucas. —Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Oct. 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