1
as in dropping
to strike (someone) so forcefully as to cause a fall
downed his opponent with one stunning blow
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in sipping
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 dismissing
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
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Recent Examples of downing
Storms that moved in Wednesday afternoon, downing trees and damaging some buildings, were expected to be followed by more wild weather in the evening.
—
ABC News, 10 June 2026
Workers started industrial action at all three Inpex facilities last week, downing tools for four hours a day among other measures.
—Sing Yee Ong, Bloomberg, 8 June 2026
Unfortunately for the Kansas City Chiefs star, the Knicks pulled ahead to ultimately win the match—and Kelce protested by taking a mini nap on his fiancée's shoulder and downing his drink in a beer chug seen all over the internet.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 8 June 2026
Ukraine has retained roughly the same interception rates for drones as before the recent escalation, downing around 90% of them each month and using electronic warfare to divert some munitions away from populated areas.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
Moscow was also targeted, with air defenses downing 13 drones approaching the capital, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram.
—Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 3 June 2026
Strong to severe thunderstorms with brilliant lightning and booming thunder swept through the Kansas City area early Monday, knocking out power to thousands and downing some trees and limbs in the metro.
—Kansas City Star, 1 June 2026
But the country has remained cautious in downing errant drones, which can pose risks to populated areas.
—Arkansas Online, 30 May 2026
But Romania has remained cautious in downing errant drones, which can pose risks to populated areas.
—Stephen McGrath, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
ABC News, 10 June 2026
Workers started industrial action at all three Inpex facilities last week, downing tools for four hours a day among other measures.
—Sing Yee Ong, Bloomberg, 8 June 2026
Unfortunately for the Kansas City Chiefs star, the Knicks pulled ahead to ultimately win the match—and Kelce protested by taking a mini nap on his fiancée's shoulder and downing his drink in a beer chug seen all over the internet.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 8 June 2026
Ukraine has retained roughly the same interception rates for drones as before the recent escalation, downing around 90% of them each month and using electronic warfare to divert some munitions away from populated areas.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
Moscow was also targeted, with air defenses downing 13 drones approaching the capital, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram.
—Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 3 June 2026
Strong to severe thunderstorms with brilliant lightning and booming thunder swept through the Kansas City area early Monday, knocking out power to thousands and downing some trees and limbs in the metro.
—Kansas City Star, 1 June 2026
But the country has remained cautious in downing errant drones, which can pose risks to populated areas.
—Arkansas Online, 30 May 2026
But Romania has remained cautious in downing errant drones, which can pose risks to populated areas.
—Stephen McGrath, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downing
Verb
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Orlando was also one of the cheaper destinations on the list, with average summer flights around $244, and some routes dropping below $70 depending on departure city and timing.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2026
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Health inspectors found one vermin dropping on the shelf that was storing liquor and several old vermin droppings on the floor corner behind a metal cabinet.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
June 12,
Sacbee.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Husband-and-wife team Andrew Levitas and Katherine Jenkins created the Welsh spirit so that Jenkins, a classical singer, could enjoy sipping a gin smooth enough not to affect her voice.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
18 June 2026
-
Dig your toes in the sand while sipping a mai tai and munching on the restaurant’s famous Bimini Bread with Aruba Glaze and whipped honey butter.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
That included dismissing all claims against the Herald defendants and Mayor Wu.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
14 June 2026
-
Media covered the story briefly before dismissing it as youthful overreaction or isolated activism.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
19 June 2026
-
The purpose of any heat shield is to be sure the extreme temperatures that objects hitting Earth’s atmosphere experience don’t harm the crew or cargo inside the vehicle.—
Margaret Landis,
The Conversation,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Brandsema explained that humans are born with one pool of motor neurons for life, and SMA slowly robs individuals of their motor neurons over time, leaving them with difficulty walking or running, holding up their heads, or even swallowing food and liquid safely.—
Ciara McCarthy
June 15,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
-
Lacking vegetation to hold the sand in place, the wind pushes it over the top, swallowing trees and anything else in its path.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Tom then explains the actual Trolley Problem, the philosophical debate about having to choose whether to pull a lever that will prevent a runaway trolley from killing multiple people, but will still result in the death of a single person.—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
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But the Israeli military has yet to fully stop hostilities, killing at least four people in separate strikes Tuesday on Lebanon, according to Lebanese state media.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
Verb
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An OpenAI reasoning model recently overturned a conjecture Paul Erdős posed in 1946, toppling an eighty-year assumption in combinatorial geometry by importing machinery from algebraic number theory — two fields with no obvious reason to meet.—
Christian Catalini,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
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The Regis Jesuit Raiders captured the 5A state championship, toppling Arvada West 5-3 for their first crown in seven years.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
Verb
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There was an increase in drinking from 2021 to 2023 among San Diego Unified high school students, especially those 18 and older.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 June 2026
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Also in Boston, Scottish World Cup supporters impressed locals after reportedly drinking several bars dry.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downing. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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