went down; gone down; going down; goes down
1
2
a
: to drop to a lower level
prices going down
b
: to become smaller
The swelling has gone down.
c
: to become less bright
The lights went down as the movie started.
3
—used to say how easy or hard it is to swallow something
The medicine went down easily.
4
a
: to please or agree with one
—used with with and an adverb
My suggestion didn't go down well with the boss.
b
: to come to be remembered especially in posterity
Will they go down in history as great leaders?
5
British
: to leave a university
6
a
: to lose or fail
went down in the third round
b
chiefly British
: to become incapacitated
… went down with … acute tonsillitis …—
Helen Cathcart
Helen Cathcart
c
of a computer, system, etc.
: to stop working
The network went down this morning.
7
slang
: to take place : happen
see also:
Examples of godown in a Sentence
Verb
when's the drug deal supposed to go down?
Recent Examples on the Web
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper’s Magazine , 7 Dec. 2021
Tegh Singh arrives and unloads his bundles of blossoms in Kapoor’s godown, an open-air stone courtyard that serves as the distillery.
—Rachna Sachasinh, National Geographic , 4 Jan. 2021
From across the Singapore River this trio of former godowns (warehouses) cuts a striking profile.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 May 2018
Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Early in the second quarter, the Sun were dealt major blow when Nelson-Ododa went down with an apparent lower right leg injury, briefly leaving rookie Raegan Beers — with three fouls — as the team’s only available center.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2026
Let’s go down memory lane and recall that the 13th Amendment is abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude.
—Ann Marie Luft, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 May 2026
Perego, who has been married to Saldaña, 47, since 2013, is going down in Cannes Film Festival history as the first producer to ever have three movies premiere in the festival's main competition, per The Hollywood Reporter.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
It was followed by another attempt at deficit control, the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990, which quickly went down the fiscal memory hole.
—Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 14 May 2026
But the plane went down shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa, killing everyone aboard.
—CBS News, 14 May 2026
Wild defenseman Jake Middleton went down to the ice in front of MacKinnon to attempt to block a low shot, just before MacKinnon lasered the puck to the slimmest of spaces above Wallstedt’s right shoulder.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 14 May 2026
The Red Sox catcher went down in a heap, forcing pitcher Garrett Whitlock to make an athletic sliding catch to salvage the play and end the inning.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Everything surfeit went to the property’s godown.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper’s Magazine , 7 Dec. 2021
Tegh Singh arrives and unloads his bundles of blossoms in Kapoor’s godown, an open-air stone courtyard that serves as the distillery.
—Rachna Sachasinh, National Geographic , 4 Jan. 2021
From across the Singapore River this trio of former godowns (warehouses) cuts a striking profile.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 May 2018
Verb
But when Puka Nacua went down, McVay shifted to a heavier offense with three tight ends.
—Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Early in the second quarter, the Sun were dealt major blow when Nelson-Ododa went down with an apparent lower right leg injury, briefly leaving rookie Raegan Beers — with three fouls — as the team’s only available center.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2026
Let’s go down memory lane and recall that the 13th Amendment is abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude.
—Ann Marie Luft, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 May 2026
Perego, who has been married to Saldaña, 47, since 2013, is going down in Cannes Film Festival history as the first producer to ever have three movies premiere in the festival's main competition, per The Hollywood Reporter.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
It was followed by another attempt at deficit control, the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990, which quickly went down the fiscal memory hole.
—Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 14 May 2026
But the plane went down shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa, killing everyone aboard.
—CBS News, 14 May 2026
Wild defenseman Jake Middleton went down to the ice in front of MacKinnon to attempt to block a low shot, just before MacKinnon lasered the puck to the slimmest of spaces above Wallstedt’s right shoulder.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 14 May 2026
The Red Sox catcher went down in a heap, forcing pitcher Garrett Whitlock to make an athletic sliding catch to salvage the play and end the inning.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Godown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/godown. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
