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

What space the library does have is overwhelmingly downtown. —Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 25 Feb. 2026

The ninth annual Black Joy Parade drew thousands of people downtown for an afternoon of good vibes, great food and blaring beats on two stages. —Warren Pederson, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Feb. 2026

Noun

Homelessness along the San Diego River is down 50% year-over-year, and homelessness in downtown is down 62% since 2023 — the year the city enacted its controversial encampment ban. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026

After a soggy afternoon and a downtown power outage, the game started an hour late with a first-pitch temperature of 38 degrees and finished in hard rain. —CBS News, 4 Apr. 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