low

verb

lowed; lowing; lows

intransitive verb

: moo

In barns cows lowed to be milked.

—Esther Forbes

Examples of low in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This allows the highs, mids, and lows to be optimized to their highest quality. —George Yang, PC Magazine, 26 May 2026

Things went from high to low for Rossi and Ed Carpenter Racing when, after qualifying P2 for the race, sandwiched on the front row by pole sitter and reigning champion Alex Palou and Team Penske's David Malukas, Rossi had a major crash in Monday's practice session. —Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026

Sunday’s loss to Newcastle added to the long compilation of West Ham lows this campaign. —Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 18 May 2026

The only times before last week when the S&P 500 hit a record high with so many of its stocks reaching fresh 52-week lows new lows were at or near important market tops, including near the end of the '90s bull. —Sean Conlon,lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 11 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

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.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing low

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

Rhymes for low

• beau
• beaut
• beaux
• blow
• bro
• coe
• crow
• doe
• doh
• dough
• eau
• eaux

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