as in prairie
a broad area of level or rolling treeless country
hold a festival on the downs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in drops
to strike (someone) so forcefully as to cause a fall
downed his opponent with one stunning blow
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in sips
to take into the stomach through the mouth and throat
downing slices of pizza and guzzling bottles of soda
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in dismisses
to reject by or as if by a vote
all attempts to ban indoor smoking had been downed by the town council
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of downs
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2026
Pimpton was Craig’s favorite target on third downs and flourished in the short and intermediate passing game.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2026
More likely, the Nuggets will run plenty of sets with him coming off pin-downs and other screens to catch in the flow of their half-court offense, sparing him from the burden of initiating every possession.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2026
South Florida Sun Sentinel columnist Chris Perkins is joined by Dave Hyde and David Furones to go head-to-head over the ups and downs of the Miami Dolphins in their live show, now available as a free podcast.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
As a sophomore on varsity last season, Triolo had typical ups and downs.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Universal’s classic monster movies have had some ups and downs in the past few years.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Those just popping in for lunch tend to flaunt flowing two-piece sets, bohemian maxi dresses, or casual chinos and button downs.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
Marte has had ups and downs since his debut in 2023, including an 80-game suspension for violating the league’s drug-testing policy before the 2024 season.
—C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
Greene downs it, throws the kid his jersey, smiles, and all is right with the world.
—Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Feb. 2026
But Sarah Graves gives a bit too much room and Penn downs a 3-pointeron the wing.
—Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 30 Nov. 2025
In between questions about Nineties cultural touchstones like Friends, Space Jam, Beavis and Butthead, the Spice Girls, and Sir-Mix-A-Lot — during which Kravitz racks up a lot of points and Butler downs a lot of shots — the pair also discusses working on Caught Stealing.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
His ability to slide inside on pass downs fits the 49ers’ philosophy, perhaps too much so.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2026
Pimpton was Craig’s favorite target on third downs and flourished in the short and intermediate passing game.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2026
More likely, the Nuggets will run plenty of sets with him coming off pin-downs and other screens to catch in the flow of their half-court offense, sparing him from the burden of initiating every possession.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2026
South Florida Sun Sentinel columnist Chris Perkins is joined by Dave Hyde and David Furones to go head-to-head over the ups and downs of the Miami Dolphins in their live show, now available as a free podcast.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
As a sophomore on varsity last season, Triolo had typical ups and downs.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Universal’s classic monster movies have had some ups and downs in the past few years.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Those just popping in for lunch tend to flaunt flowing two-piece sets, bohemian maxi dresses, or casual chinos and button downs.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
Marte has had ups and downs since his debut in 2023, including an 80-game suspension for violating the league’s drug-testing policy before the 2024 season.
—C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
Birdville downs rival Richland Matthew Moore allowed 1 earned run while scattering 2 hits across 5 innings to lead North Richland Hills Birdville past North Richland Hills Richland 3-2 in a District 6-5A showdown on Tuesday night at Richland High School.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
Greene downs it, throws the kid his jersey, smiles, and all is right with the world.
—Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Feb. 2026
But Sarah Graves gives a bit too much room and Penn downs a 3-pointeron the wing.
—Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 30 Nov. 2025
In between questions about Nineties cultural touchstones like Friends, Space Jam, Beavis and Butthead, the Spice Girls, and Sir-Mix-A-Lot — during which Kravitz racks up a lot of points and Butler downs a lot of shots — the pair also discusses working on Caught Stealing.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downs
Noun
-
As a native to prairies, meadows, and open woods, this garden favorite cannot tolerate having 'wet feet' and requires the optimal drainage sandy soil provides.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Look for the leaves of prairie trillium and great white trillium.—
Sheryl De Vore,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The youth suddenly drops to the ground as the crowd scatters.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The two kids search for his dad’s pool, and Bluey drops Winton from the sky into the deep end.—
Jean Garnett,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Group support Wrapped in a fleece jacket, Sarah sips white wine from a stemmed glass.—
Gerald Witt,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Nasser adds a spoonful to her chia cherry water recipe and sips the fiber-rich drink slowly during the evenings.—
Devinder Bains,
Vogue,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If Erdos dismisses the lawsuit on account of arbitration, that will mean the dispute leaves the public court system and continues in arbitration, which is private and subject to confidentiality provisions.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Descovich dismisses the criticism.—
Collin Binkley,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There, Patagonia stretches out into wide skies, windswept pampas, turquoise lakes, and towering ice fields.—
Eric Sheets,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Dec. 2025
-
The earthy palette of browns, pampa greens, and guanaco beiges further enhances the collection’s life-in-the-great-outdoors vibe, only occasionally countered with pops of vivid blue and black.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
18 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
But each release specifies exactly which warehouse and even which floors the barrels for a particular batch were matured, which is similar to Hardin’s Creek.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
What if Kirby finally swallows something too big?—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
-
In Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 film Modern Times, a factory worker struggles to keep pace with an ever-accelerating assembly line—until the machine swallows him whole.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Vaccines against malaria, a disease that kills more than 400,000 people annually, most of them children under five in Africa, are now being introduced in 25 countries.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
He’s considered a two-way winger, kills penalties and can play the net front on the power play.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downs. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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