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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of downs
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026
The relationship between legendary comedienne Deborah Vance and millennial writer Ava Daniels has gone through ups, downs, fantastic successes, and nightmarish lawsuits.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 28 Mar. 2026
This can be challenging for those holding it long-term, as the ups and downs may cause stress.
—Felysha Walker, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
In the 19th, Grace Panetta studied the answers in another Navigator focus group, from young women worried about economic ups and downs.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 26 Mar. 2026
Wednesday’s practice started with some of the players doing up-downs after forgetting equipment.
—Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Palace’s season has, by and large, followed the ups and downs their previous years in the Premier League have included.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Much to the elation of the home crowd that stuck with the Gophers for 40 minutes through the ups and downs.
—Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 21 Mar. 2026
Hawke says Wishful Thinking — in which a couple’s ups and downs turn out to have magical power over the world around them — appealed to her love of high-concept movies.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026
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
Harvey can play on passing downs.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026
The relationship between legendary comedienne Deborah Vance and millennial writer Ava Daniels has gone through ups, downs, fantastic successes, and nightmarish lawsuits.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 28 Mar. 2026
This can be challenging for those holding it long-term, as the ups and downs may cause stress.
—Felysha Walker, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
In the 19th, Grace Panetta studied the answers in another Navigator focus group, from young women worried about economic ups and downs.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 26 Mar. 2026
Wednesday’s practice started with some of the players doing up-downs after forgetting equipment.
—Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Palace’s season has, by and large, followed the ups and downs their previous years in the Premier League have included.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Much to the elation of the home crowd that stuck with the Gophers for 40 minutes through the ups and downs.
—Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 21 Mar. 2026
Hawke says Wishful Thinking — in which a couple’s ups and downs turn out to have magical power over the world around them — appealed to her love of high-concept movies.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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
-
When prairie goes under the plow, most of the organic matter disappears, turning living water‑holding, nutrient‑rich soil into mineral dust.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Naturalists and other scientists frequently visit the prairie to research those species.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The find helps explain water’s odd behavior and its unusual properties, including the reason ice cubes float and how liquid water expands as its temperature drops below 39 degrees Fahrenheit (four degrees Celsius).—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Once the radiation density drops sufficiently, matter becomes dominant, with the matter density then dominating the cosmic expansion rate.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 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
-
Henry immediately dismisses his class.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Luari dismisses that speculation, saying her problems are not tied to her rapid expansion, but rather uncontrollable financial setbacks.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 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
-
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
-
The actor audibly swallows to fight back the tears glittering in his eyes before continuing.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
OpenAI kills Sora Talk about a script change.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The team realized that radiation kills chips by trapping electrical charges in transistors’ insulating layers.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downs. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
