low

1 of 6

adjective

ˈlō 

lower ˈlō-ər  ; lowest ˈlō-əst 

1

a

: having a small upward extension or elevation

a low wall

b

: situated or passing little above a reference line, point, or plane

low bridges

c(1)

: having a low-cut neckline

(2)

: not extending as high as the ankle

low oxfords

2

a

: situated or passing below the normal level, surface, or base of measurement, or the mean elevation

low ground

b

: marking a nadir or bottom

the low point of his career

3

a(1)

: small in number or amount

(2)

: substandard, inadequate

a low level of employment

a low income group

(3)

: cheap

low prices

(4)

: short, depleted

Oil is in low supply.

b

: of lesser degree, size, or amount than average or ordinary

low energy

c

: of lesser position, rank, or order

4

: intended to attract little attention

kept a low profile

5

: unfavorable, disparaging

had a low opinion of her

6

a

: lacking spirit or vivacity : depressed

a low frame of mind

b

: lacking strength, health, or vitality : weak, prostrate

very low with pneumonia

7

a

: being near the horizon

b

: being near the equator

low northern latitudes

8

: falling short of some standard: such as

a

: morally reprehensible : base

a low trick

b

: lacking dignity or elevation

a low style of writing

c

: coarse, vulgar

low language

9

a

: not loud : soft

b

: characterized by being toward the bottom of the range of pitch attainable (as by an instrument)

c

: flat sense 8a

10

: socially or economically humble in character or status

a person of low birth

11

: designed for slow and usually the slowest speed

low gear

12

a

: not advanced in complexity, development, or elaboration

low organisms

b

often capitalized : low church

13

: being near the basket or net

a player in the low post

14

: dead

—used as a predicate adjective with lay

laid the enemy low

15

: articulated with a wide opening between the relatively flat tongue and the palate : open

\ä\ is a low vowel.

low adverb

lowness noun

low

2 of 6

noun (1)

1

: something that is low: such as

a

: depth

a new low in advertising

b

: a region of low barometric pressure

2

: the transmission gear of an automotive vehicle giving the lowest ratio of driveshaft to crankshaft speed

low

3 of 6

verb (1)

lowed; lowing; lows

intransitive verb

: moo

In barns cows lowed to be milked.

—Esther Forbes

low

4 of 6

noun (2)

: the deep sustained sound characteristic especially of a cow

low

5 of 6

noun (3)

ˈlō 

variants or lowe

chiefly Scotland

: flame, blaze

low

6 of 6

verb (2)

variants or lowe

lowed; lowing

Scotland

: flame, blaze

Synonyms

Adjective

• equatorial
• tropical

Choose the Right Synonym for low

base, low, vile mean deserving of contempt because of the absence of higher values.

base stresses the ignoble and may suggest cruelty, treachery, greed, or grossness.

base motives

low may connote crafty cunning, vulgarity, or immorality and regularly implies an outraging of one's sense of decency or propriety.

refused to listen to such low talk

vile, the strongest of these words, tends to suggest disgusting depravity or filth.

a vile remark

Examples of low in a Sentence

Adjective

The apartment has low ceilings.

They have a home in the low country.

The houses are built on low ground.

temperatures as low as 10 below zero

He's being treated for low blood pressure.

a low dose of medicine

She earns a low salary.

Demand for his books has remained low.

Temperatures were in the low eighties.

Our supply of fuel is getting low.

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Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

These two days seemed to heed the message of their mornings, hours when the low temperature fell to the invigorating lower 60s, imbuing us with an energy and vitality attuned to coming demands of study and labor. —Martin Weil, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2023

Being pregnant can literally be a pain in the butt—and the lower back and legs, too. —Laura Riley, Parents, 2 Sep. 2023

In the meantime, here are some cheap-by-comparison deals between Alaska and the Lower 48: Delta introduced lower prices for fall travel recently to many destinations. —Scott McMurren, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Sep. 2023

Everything from sandals to sneakers to hiking shoes and heeled boots are all on sale, some with eye-popping discounts of over 70 percent and prices as low as $9. Don’t worry about sorting through the many categories of comfy shoes on sale. —Brittany Vanderbill, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2023

That brings the three-month average to 150,000 — a marked slowdown from the 200,000 achieved for 29 consecutive months before that, and slightly lower than the average pace of 163,000 in 2019. —Lydia Depillis, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Sep. 2023

Within a few months of the FDA announcing its decision, Nutraceutical — which sold the supplement — filed a lawsuit in federal court, alleging that the agency had failed to show that the substance was dangerous at low doses, and was abusing its authority by imposing a total ban. —Emily Anderson Stern, The Salt Lake Tribune, 2 Sep. 2023

The report asserted that Black car buyers often are offered more costly auto loans than white car buyers while being denied loans more often, partly reflecting lower credit scores. —Russ Wiles, USA TODAY, 21 Aug. 2023

Kutter Crawford carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, which was two innings longer than Yankees ace Gerrit Cole was able to stay in the game as he was beaten up by the lower third of the Sox order. —Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2023

Noun

Hospitalizations have also increased since June, from a low of five to about 15. —Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 15 Sep. 2023

Rivian shares this year have remained below $78, hitting a low of $11.68 in April. —Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2023

Poverty among children more than doubled, to 12.4 percent, from a record low of 5.2 percent the year before. —Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 12 Sep. 2023

The child poverty rate, as measured by the SPM, jumped from a historic low of 5.2% in 2021 to 12.4% in 2022, the Census said. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 12 Sep. 2023

The solutions — aggressive law enforcement — seemed more obvious than now, with downtown’s future uncertain and police staffing at a historic low. —Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2023

Overnight lows will dip into the low 50s with rain chances tapering off after 8 p.m. Wednesday morning could see some more showers before partly sunny skies return in the afternoon. —Mike Rose, cleveland, 11 Sep. 2023

Applications for a mortgage to buy a home dropped to a 27-year low last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. —Samantha Delouya, CNN, 9 Sep. 2023

The joys are so high and the lows are painfully low. —Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 7 Sep. 2023

Verb

Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let the rice cook for 25 to 30 minutes, keeping the pot covered. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2023

Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough forms a ball and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. —Lyda Jones Burnette, Country Living, 8 Sep. 2023

An excessive heat warning is in effect for the Valley until Thursday night, with above normal temperatures expected to hit 115 degrees and lows around 90. —Fernando Cervantes Jr., The Arizona Republic, 17 Aug. 2023

Cleveland sunrise - 6:29 a.m. Cleveland sunset - 8:35 p.m. Extended forecast for Northeast Ohio Rain clears out Thursday night with cloudy skies and overnight lows around 62. —Mike Rose, cleveland, 8 Aug. 2023

Drier and cooler air will drop Sunday morning lows into the lower to upper-40s (West/Northwest North Texas) and lower-50s (Central/Eastern North Texas). —Kxas-Tv (nbc5), Dallas News, 16 Apr. 2023

Thursday morning was the first time in 16 days that metro Phoenix lows finally cooled to a temperature under 90 degrees, coming in at 89 degrees. —Ellie Willard, The Arizona Republic, 28 July 2023

Sunshine returns on Sunday with highs only in the mid 70s and lows around 60. —Mike Rose, cleveland, 27 July 2023

Then turn it to low for a soft simmer for a few hours, the heat quietly extracting the magic. —Melina Hammer, Bon Appétit, 20 July 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English lah, low, from Old Norse lāgr; akin to Middle High German læge low, flat; probably akin to Old English licgan to lie

Verb (1) and Noun (2)

Middle English loowen, lowen, going back to Old English hlōwan, going back to Germanic *hlōan- (whence also Old Saxon hlōinga "mooing," Old Low Franconian luon, luogin "to moo, bellow," Old High German luoen), going back to Indo-European *kloh₁-, presumed o-grade derivative of a verbal base *kleh₁-, *kl̥h₁- "call," whence also Germanic *halōn-, *hulōn- "to summon" (whence Old English geholian "to obtain, get," Old Saxon halon, haloian "to fetch, get, bring," Old High German halōn, holōn "to fetch, send for, summon"), Latin calāre "to announce, summon," Umbrian kařetu "(he must) call," Greek kaléō, kaleîn "to call, summon," and perhaps Hittite kalliš- "entice, elicit, evoke"

Note: Old English hlōwan is taken to be a Class VII strong verb (as grōwan "to grow," blōwan "to bloom, blow entry 3"), despite the lack of attested forms outside the present tense. The a vocalism of the Greek and Italic forms is variously explained. The suggestion that the base is *kalh₁-, with a primary -a-, eliminates some of the difficulties.

Noun (3)

Middle English, from Old Norse logi, log; akin to Old English lēoht light — more at light

First Known Use

Adjective

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1522, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing low

• down-low
• high and low
• extremely low frequency
• high-low-jack
• high/low profile
• in low spirits
• have a low opinion of (something)
• low blow
• lie low
• low blood pressure
• kept a low profile
• low beam
• low-budget
• low-class
• low-carb
• low country
• low cunning
• low-cut
• low-down
• low earth orbit
• low-density lipoprotein
• low frequency
• low-end
• low-fat
• low gear
• low-grade
• low-hanging fruit
• low-impact
• low-income housing
• low-key
• low-maintenance
• low man on the totem pole
• low-minded
• low mass
• low-level
• low pain threshold
• low point
• low-pressure
• low-ranking
• low-rise
• low season
• low relief
• low-spirited
• low-tech
• low tide
• on a low note
• run low on
• run low
• stand high/low with (someone)
• very low frequency
• very low density lipoprotein
• low comedy
• low in
• low-rent
• low-risk
• low-pitched
• low-slung
• low water
• low-lying
• low achiever
• the down-low
• low-keyed
• on the down-low

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• down-low
• high and low
• extremely low frequency
• high-low-jack
• high/low profile
• in low spirits
• have a low opinion of (something)
• low blow
• lie low
• low blood pressure
• kept a low profile
• low beam
• low-budget
• low-class
• low-carb
• low country
• low cunning
• low-cut
• low-down
• low earth orbit
• low-density lipoprotein
• low frequency
• low-end
• low-fat
• low gear
• low-grade
• low-hanging fruit
• low-impact
• low-income housing
• low-key
• low-maintenance
• low man on the totem pole
• low-minded
• low mass
• low-level
• low pain threshold
• low point
• low-pressure
• low-ranking
• low-rise
• low season
• low relief
• low-spirited
• low-tech
• low tide
• on a low note
• run low on
• run low
• stand high/low with (someone)
• very low frequency
• very low density lipoprotein
• low comedy
• low in
• low-rent
• low-risk
• low-pitched
• low-slung
• low water
• low-lying
• low achiever
• the down-low
• low-keyed
• on the down-low

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Kids Definition

low

1 of 3 noun

ˈlō 

: the deep sound of a cow

low verb

low

2 of 3 adjective

ˈlō

lower

ˈlō(-ə)r

; lowest

ˈlō-əst

1

a

: not high or tall

a low wall

a low bridge

b

: cut far down at the neck

c

: not extending as high as the ankle

2

a

: placed or passing below the normal level

low ground

b

: marking a bottom

a low point of his career

3

: stricken sense 1, prostrate

laid low

4

a

: not loud : soft

a low whisper

b

: deep in pitch

a low note

5

a

: being near the equator

low northern latitudes

b

: being near the horizon

the sun is low

6

: poor entry 1 sense 1, lower-class

low birth

7

a

: feeble sense 1, weak

low with fever

b

: not cheerful or lively

in low spirits

8

: less than usual (as in number, amount, degree, or rank)

a low price

low pressure

9

a

: lacking dignity

a low style of writing

b

: morally deserving of criticism : base

a low trick

c

: coarse sense 5, vulgar

low language

10

: being less complex in structure and development than others

low animals

11

: not favorable

a low opinion of their work

low adverb

lowness noun

low

3 of 3 noun

1

: something low

especially : a region of low barometric pressure

2

: the arrangement of gears in an automobile that gives the lowest speed of travel

Medical Definition

low

adjective

ˈlō 

lower ˈlō(-ə)r  ; lowest ˈlō-əst 

: having a relatively less complex organization : not greatly differentiated or developed phylogenetically

—usually used in the comparative degree of less advanced types of plants and animals

the lower vertebrates

compare high sense 1

Biographical Definition

Low

biographical name

ˈlō 

Sir David Alexander Cecil 1891–1963 British cartoonist