down 1 of 6

1
as in downward
toward or in a lower position the stairs went down to the basement

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in away
from this or that place came down from New York for the weekend

Synonyms & Similar Words

down

2 of 6

adjective

1
2
as in lowered
directed down a down escalator

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in depressed
feeling unhappiness feeling a bit down

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4
5
6

down

3 of 6

noun (1)

as in fur
a soft airy substance or covering a comforter filled with goose down

Synonyms & Similar Words

down

4 of 6

noun (2)

1
as in accident
something (as a situation or event) that is depressing lately it's been one down after another in my life

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
4
as in drop
the act or process of going to a lower level or altitude suffered with a psychological disorder in which she alternated between emotional ups and downs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

5

down

5 of 6

noun (3)

down

6 of 6

verb

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of down
Adverb
Penn State got the ball back with 35 seconds and one timeout, down 27-24, but couldn't get into field goal range, and a Hail Mary attempt fell short. Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025 And a fourth was a down-on-his-luck bus driver. NPR, 8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Booze is down and weed is up, and that’s doing something to us as a country. Dan Brooks, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025 But they are also set to make national history in the down-ballot race for lieutenant governor, in which voters will choose either the first openly gay Republican or the first Muslim woman ever elected to statewide office in the United States. Nik Popli, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
He's weathered four periods of ups and downs in the past two decades in Silicon Valley, including the rise of the internet, the cloud, social networks and now the AI explosion. Andre Byik, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025 The final sequence was a perfect summary of the Horned Frogs’ weaknesses, as an improved defense struggled yet again to get off the field on crucial downs. Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
Report downed power lines to the police. Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 30 Oct. 2025 Video posted by Jamaica’s Constabulary Force in Black River, near where the eye came ashore, show snarled and downed power lines, piles of debris and many buildings completely collapsed — all on a street still covered in water. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for down
Adverb
  • After losses in four of their last five games, the trajectory of the Cleveland Browns are trending downward heading into a Week 10 game against the New York Jets.
    Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Nasdaq 100 futures were pointing downward, premarket, after the index lost 2% yesterday in a massive, global selloff of tech stocks.
    Jim Edwards, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
Adverb
  • This risk decreases as the storm moves away.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 9 Nov. 2025
  • If no shelter is available, crawl to an interior wall away from windows.
    CA Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Visitors can get an up-close look at these plants at Carolina Beach State Park or the Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden.
    Gabi De la Rosa, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2025
  • In the photo carousel, Kardashian shared an up-close look of both the front and back of the thong suit, which was also worn with a blue long-sleeve shirt and maroon tie.
    Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Even with lowered rents, The Grand’s residents aren’t staying long.
    David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2025
  • This was highlighted by the fact that Psyche’s April 2024 message – beamed from a distance of 225 million kilometers – reached Earth at a lowered 25 megabits per second.
    Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • During the week, Aluko had described lying in bed at the height of the controversy, depressed and unable to eat.
    Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Perhaps this depressed valuation is what caught the eye of Carl Icahn.
    Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Raimondo Orsi had already gone back to Argentina to look after his sick mother, and Luis Monti had retired.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Air traffic controllers tasked with managing aircraft movements on runways and in the skies are working without pay during the shutdown, leading to more controllers calling in sick and triggering short staff warnings from the FAA.
    Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Other Republicans say the criticism of the party’s performance is overkill, noting that the major elections of the evening took place in blue-leaning states during an off-year election.
    Julia Manchester, The Hill, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Superstar Victor Wembanyama had an off night, scoring just nine points to go with nine rebounds and four blocks.
    Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Thus far, Arsenal’s excellent form has relegated the injuries to a subplot.
    James McNicholas, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
  • The carbon nanofiber provides mechanical stability, abundant pore channels, and excellent electrolyte wettability, while the cobalt sites catalyze the adsorption and conversion of polysulfides.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/down. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on down

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!