lower

verb (1)

low·er | \ˈlau̇(-ə)r,

ˈlō-ər

variants: or less commonly lour \ˈlau̇(-ə)r

lowered also loured; lowering also louring; lowers also lours

Definition of lower

(Entry 1 of 4)

intransitive verb

1 : to look sullen : frown

2 : to be or become dark, gloomy, and threatening an overcast sky lowered over the village

lower

noun

variants: or less commonly lour

Definition of lower (Entry 2 of 4)

: frown

lower

adjective

low·er | \ˈlō-ər

Definition of lower (Entry 3 of 4)

1 : relatively low in position, rank, or order

2 : southern lower New York State

3 : less advanced in the scale of evolutionary development

4a : situated or held to be situated beneath the earth's surface

b capitalized : being an earlier epoch or series of the period or system named Lower Cretaceous Lower Paleolithic

5 : constituting the popular and often the larger and more representative branch of a bicameral legislative body lower house

lower

verb (2)

low·er | \ˈlō-ər

lowered; lowering; lowers

Definition of lower (Entry 4 of 4)

intransitive verb

: to move down : drop also : diminish

transitive verb

1a : to let descend : let down

b : to depress as to direction lower your aim

c : to reduce the height of

2a : to reduce in value, number, or amount

b(1) : to bring down in quality or character : degrade

(2) : abase, humble

c : to reduce the objective of

lower the boom

: to deal a crushing blow or punishment

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about lower

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Synonyms & Antonyms for lower

Synonyms: Noun

face, frown, grimace, mouth, mug, pout, scowl

Synonyms: Adjective

inferior, junior, less, lesser, minor, smaller, subordinate

Antonyms: Adjective

greater, higher, major, more, primary, prime, senior, superior

Examples of lower in a Sentence

Noun

he turned to see the scornful lower on her face

Adjective

the ship's upper and lower decks The message appeared on the lower portion of the screen. the mountain's upper and lower slopes The forecast is for strong winds at lower elevations. in the lower and higher latitudes the lower and upper peninsulas

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

These gaps at the lower end of the labor market can be traced back to weak government programs and hamstrung union bargaining, the report says. — Andrew Van Dam, chicagotribune.com, "Is it great to be a worker in the U.S.? Not compared with the rest of the developed world.," 5 July 2018 These gaps at the lower end of the labor market can be traced back to weak government programs and hamstrung union bargaining, the report says. — Andrew Van Dam, latimes.com, "The economy is hot, yet many U.S. workers feel left behind. A new report sheds some light," 5 July 2018 These gaps at the lower end of the labor market can be traced back to weak government programs and hamstrung union bargaining, the report says. — Andrew Van Dam, chicagotribune.com, "Is it great to be a worker in the U.S.? Not compared with the rest of the developed world.," 5 July 2018 These gaps at the lower end of the labor market can be traced back to weak government programs and hamstrung union bargaining, the report says. — Andrew Van Dam, latimes.com, "The economy is hot, yet many U.S. workers feel left behind. A new report sheds some light," 5 July 2018 Dozens of these ultra-green schools are going up in every sort of district—urban and rural, affluent and lower income, blue state and red state. — Chris Berdik, WIRED, "Solar Panels Power New Schools—and New Ways of Learning," 6 June 2018 Burger chains overall fall at the lower end of the fast-food industry. — Caroline Judelson, Fox News, "Chick-fil-A holds lead as top fast-food restaurant for third year; Cracker Barrel no longer first in full-service," 6 July 2018 These gaps at the lower end of the labor market can be traced back to weak government programs and hamstrung union bargaining, the report says. — Andrew Van Dam, latimes.com, "The economy is hot, yet many U.S. workers feel left behind. A new report sheds some light," 5 July 2018 These gaps at the lower end of the labor market can be traced back to weak government programs and hamstrung union bargaining, the report says. — Andrew Van Dam, chicagotribune.com, "Is it great to be a worker in the U.S.? Not compared with the rest of the developed world.," 5 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lower.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.