downs 1 of 2

plural of down

downs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of down

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
Noun
Defensively, the Commanders continue to excel in pressuring quarterbacks and defending on third downs, though injuries in the secondary could pose challenges. Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025 Sister Wives has documented the ups and downs of the Brown family — which includes 18 children in total — since 2010. Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025 The Cowboys’ defense may have reached its lowest point last week against the Bears, surrendering 31 points, four touchdown passes and a 60 percent success rate on third downs. Mike Jones, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025 The Raptors turned the ball over on downs had a punt blocked on their next two possessions. Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 27 Sep. 2025 Most striking, the Cavaliers owned third and fourth downs, grinding their way through a defense that stuffed Alabama in Week 1. David Teel, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025 The result is companies built on sturdier foundations, less vulnerable to the ups and downs of funding markets. Aman Ghei, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2025 The Cardinals recovered the ball and received a new set of downs. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 Sep. 2025 Social media companies, from Meta to X, have largely abandoned any attempt at moderating content on their platforms, having previously (albeit inadequately) attempted some form of fact-checking and take-downs of incendiary material and flagrant disinformation. Time, 20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
  • In the 1980s, Nolin and Mutter helped coordinate the restoration of a natural prairie ecosystem at the site.
    Danny Robb, JSTOR Daily, 3 Oct. 2025
  • One way to pair the two experiences is a ride on the Grand Canyon Railway, where travelers can see high desert, prairie and pine forest landscapes on a 4½ hour round-trip train ride that starts in the Route 66 town of Williams and stops at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
    Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Nashville gets 'Showgirl' mural It's become a Nashville tradition for Taylor Swift album drops.
    Bryan West, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
  • There are a few different movies jockeying for screen time in Steve, the British handwringer that drops on Netflix today, and yet one of them clearly has the best chance of winning its survival-of-the-fittest competition.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • As for the third criticism—that the point system is gamification, trivializing death and destruction—Prickly dismisses it out of hand.
    Tamar Jacoby, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The poem dismisses prevailing emphases on externals, stressing instead the formative powers of one’s inner being.
    Daniella Walsh, Oc Register, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Some invasive ornamental grasses include pampas grass, Mexican feather grass, and fountaingrass.
    Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Aug. 2025
  • Riyadh, Saudi Arabia CNN — Grasslands — also known as prairies, steppes, pampas or savannas — are home to 25% of the world’s population and all kinds of plants and wildlife, including elephants, rhinos and lions.
    Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Taroko Gorge, however, carves breathtaking grandeur from marble stone; a natural cathedral of cliffs, where suspension bridges sway above rapids and swallows dart through narrow canyons.
    Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Neurocysticercosis occurs after a person swallows pork tapeworm eggs, according to the CDC.
    Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • As plastic waste clogs rivers, kills marine life and threatens human health, many leaders of countries, communities and forward-looking companies are working on ways to stem the tide of plastic pollution.
    Jeff Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Advertisement In the quest to lure out Iblis, Khalid kills Ka-young’s grandmother, who dies protecting Min-ji.
    Kayti Burt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Without an excavation to remove the sediment, the open-water area will eventually be replaced by a marsh and then a meadow.
    Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
  • The sanctuary's vast network of trails winds through forests, meadows, and wetlands, as well as up the slopes of Lenox Mountain.
    Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Your second step should be to determine how high flood water is likely to rise in your area if a storm hits.
    Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
  • As the fashion week cycle continues, celebrity beauty hits an all-time high.
    Essence, Essence, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Downs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downs. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.

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