Down

/daʊn/ adj, adv, name, noun, prep, verb, slang

adj, adv, name, noun, prep, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A negative aspect; a downer, a downside.
  • Grammar: down is listed as adj, adv, name, noun, prep, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: actively, adown, ailing, air.
  • Useful contrasts: blissful, exalted, online activity.
  • Usage evidence: You shouldn't look down on him.

How to use "down"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "down" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "down" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "down" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "down" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "down" is acting as adj, adv, name, noun, prep, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "actively" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "down", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A negative aspect; a downer, a downside.

    "I love almost everything about my job. The only down is that I can't take Saturdays off."

  2. 2
    A hill; in England, especially a chalk hill. Australia, Southern-England, also, countable, especially, often, plural, uncountable

    "We went for a walk over the downs."

  3. 3
    Soft, fluffy immature feathers which grow on young birds. Used as insulating material in duvets, sleeping bags and jackets. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    (American football) a complete play to advance the football wordnet
  5. 5
    A grudge (on someone). dated

    "She had a down on me. I don't know what for, I'm sure; because I never said a word."

Show 16 more definitions
  1. 6
    A field, especially one used for horse racing. countable, plural-normally, uncountable
  2. 7
    The pubescence of plants; the hairy crown or envelope of the seeds of certain plants, such as the thistle. countable, uncountable

    "Down or Cotton-Thiſtle. This hath many large Leaves lying on the Ground, ſomewhat cut in, and as it were crumpled on the Edges, of a green Colour on the upper ſide, but covered with long hairy Wool or Cottony Down, ſet with moſt ſharp and cruel pricks"

  3. 8
    soft fine feathers wordnet
  4. 9
    A downer, depressant.

    "I am on drugs that I don't need to be on. They feel if I'm on a lot of downs, then I won't complain about my prison life"

  5. 10
    A tract of poor, sandy, undulating or hilly land near the sea, covered with fine turf which serves chiefly for the grazing of sheep. UK, countable, in-plural, uncountable

    "Seven thousand broad-taild Sheepe gras'd on his Downes;"

  6. 11
    The soft hair of the face when beginning to appear. countable, uncountable

    "But love him as he was, when youthful Grace, And the firſt Down began to ſhade his face"

  7. 12
    fine soft dense hair (as the fine short hair of cattle or deer or the wool of sheep or the undercoat of certain dogs) wordnet
  8. 13
    An act of swallowing an entire drink at once.
  9. 14
    That which is made of down, as a bed or pillow; that which affords ease and repose, like a bed of down. countable, uncountable

    "Thou boſom Softneſs! Down of all my Cares! I cou'd recline my thoughts upon this Breaſt To a forgetfulneſs of all my Griefs, And yet be happy: but it wonnot be."

  10. 15
    (usually plural) a rolling treeless highland with little soil wordnet
  11. 16
    A single play, from the time the ball is snapped (the start) to the time the whistle is blown (the end) when the ball is down, or is downed.

    "I bet after the third down, the kicker will replace the quarterback on the field."

  12. 17
    A clue whose solution runs vertically in the grid.

    "I haven't solved 12 or 13 across, but I've got most of the downs."

  13. 18
    The shift or period of time during which a dealer manages a given table before rotating to the next table at a casino or cardroom, which is often 30 minutes.
  14. 19
    A downstairs room of a two-story house.

    "She lives in a two-up two-down."

  15. 20
    Down payment.
  16. 21
    The lightest quark with a charge number of −¹⁄₃.
Verb
  1. 1
    To knock (someone or something) down; to cause to come down; to fell. transitive

    "The storm downed several old trees along the highway."

  2. 2
    To cover, ornament, line, or stuff with down. transitive

    "What pain to quit the world, just made their own, Their nest so deeply downed, and built so high !"

  3. 3
    improve or perfect by pruning or polishing wordnet
  4. 4
    To knock (someone or something) down; to cause to come down; to fell.; Specifically, to cause (something in the air) to fall to the ground; to bring down (with a missile etc.). transitive

    "The helicopter was downed by a surface-to-air missile."

  5. 5
    bring down or defeat (an opponent) wordnet
Show 11 more definitions
  1. 6
    To lower; to put (something) down. transitive

    "The bell rang for lunch, and the workers downed their tools."

  2. 7
    eat up completely, as with great appetite wordnet
  3. 8
    To defeat; to overpower. figuratively, transitive

    "To down proud hearts that would not willing die."

  4. 9
    drink down entirely wordnet
  5. 10
    To disparage; to put down. colloquial, transitive

    "‘I remember how you downed Beauclerk and Hamilton, the Wits, once at our House, – when they talked of Ghosts.’"

  6. 11
    cause to come or go down wordnet
  7. 12
    To go or come down; to descend. intransitive, obsolete, rare

    "...that is, that the trade of the world is too little for us two, therefore one must down."

  8. 13
    shoot at and force to come down wordnet
  9. 14
    To drink or swallow, especially without stopping before the vessel containing the liquid is empty. colloquial, transitive

    "He downed an ale and ordered another."

  10. 15
    To render (the ball) dead, typically by touching the ground while in possession. Canadian, transitive

    "He downed it at the seven-yard line."

  11. 16
    To sink (a ball) into a hole or pocket. transitive

    "He downed two balls on the break."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Facing downwards.

    "Turn the cloth over so that the patterned side is down."

  2. 2
    At a lower level than before.

    "The stock market is down."

  3. 3
    Sad, unhappy, depressed, feeling low. informal

    "Mary seems very down since she split up with her boyfriend."

  4. 4
    Sick, wounded, or damaged:; Sick or ill.

    "He is down with the flu."

  5. 5
    Sick, wounded, or damaged:; Wounded and unable to move normally, or killed. not-comparable, slang

    "We have an officer down outside the suspect's house."

Show 14 more definitions
  1. 6
    Sick, wounded, or damaged:; Stranded in a recumbent position; unable to stand.

    "a down cow"

  2. 7
    Sick, wounded, or damaged:; Mechanically failed, collided, shot down, or otherwise suddenly unable to fly. not-comparable, slang

    "We have a chopper down near the river."

  3. 8
    Sick, wounded, or damaged:; Inoperable; out of order; out of service. not-comparable

    "The system is down."

  4. 9
    In prison. slang

    "I'm a TS who has been down for over 5 years and will be going up for parole in the next 1 to 3 years."

  5. 10
    Having a lower score than an opponent.

    "They are down by 3–0 with just 5 minutes to play."

  6. 11
    Out. colloquial

    "Two down and one to go in the bottom of the ninth."

  7. 12
    Negative about; hostile to. colloquial

    "She's been down on clams since a bad case of food poisoning; she's lost her appetite for them."

  8. 13
    Comfortable [with]; accepting [of]; okay [with]. Canada, US, slang

    "He's chill enough; he'd probably be totally down with it."

  9. 14
    Accepted, respected, or loyally participating in the (thug) community. slang

    "What you mean, 'No'? Man, I thought you was down."

  10. 15
    Finished (of a task); defeated or dealt with (of an opponent or obstacle); elapsed (of time). Often coupled with to go (remaining).

    "Two down and three to go."

  11. 16
    Thoroughly practiced, learned or memorised; mastered. (Compare down pat.)

    "It's two weeks until opening night and our lines are still not down yet."

  12. 17
    Downright; absolute; positive. obsolete

    "This, he muſt give me leave to tell him, is an abſolute, right down—falſehood."

  13. 18
    Fallen or felled.

    "Left again at 1.05 p.m., and for two miles it was over rolling county with easy grades, but a good deal of down timber."

  14. 19
    Travelling in the direction leading away from the principal terminus, away from milepost zero.

    "The down train leaves at 10:05."

Adjective
  1. 1
    filled with melancholy and despondency wordnet
  2. 2
    not functioning (temporarily or permanently) wordnet
  3. 3
    shut wordnet
  4. 4
    lower than previously wordnet
  5. 5
    understood perfectly wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    being put out in a game of baseball wordnet
  2. 7
    extending or moving from a higher to a lower place wordnet
  3. 8
    becoming progressively lower wordnet
  4. 9
    being or moving lower in position or less in some value wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    From a higher position to a lower one; downwards. comparable, not-comparable, usually

    "The cat jumped down from the table."

  2. 2
    To or towards what is considered the bottom of something, irrespective of whether this is presently physically lower. not-comparable, usually

    "Go down to the bottom of the page."

  3. 3
    At a lower or further place or position along a set path. comparable, not-comparable, usually

    "His place is farther down the road."

  4. 4
    To the south (as south is at the bottom of typical maps). not-comparable, usually

    "I went down to Miami for a conference."

  5. 5
    Away from the city (regardless of direction). not-comparable, usually

    "He went down to Cavan."

Show 18 more definitions
  1. 6
    At or towards any place that is visualised as 'down' by virtue of local features or local convention, or arbitrarily, irrespective of direction or elevation change. not-comparable, usually

    "She lives down by the park."

  2. 7
    Forward, straight ahead. not-comparable, usually

    "At the first intersection turn left and walk down, then turn right."

  3. 8
    In the direction leading away from the principal terminus, away from milepost zero. not-comparable, usually
  4. 9
    Away from Oxford or Cambridge. UK, dated, not-comparable, usually

    "He's gone back down to Newcastle for Christmas."

  5. 10
    To a subordinate or less prestigious position or rank. not-comparable, usually

    "Smith was sent down to the minors to work on his batting."

  6. 11
    Towards the opponent's side (in ball-sports). not-comparable, usually

    "The charity match, played Sunday afternoon at Cirencester Park Polo Club in Gloucestershire, reached a dramatic climax when Prince Harry tore down the pitch but failed to score what was described as an “open goal”."

  7. 12
    So as to lessen quantity, level or intensity. not-comparable, usually

    "You need to tone down the rhetoric."

  8. 13
    So as to reduce size, weight or volume. not-comparable, usually

    "Trim the stick down to a length of about twelve inches."

  9. 14
    From less to greater detail. not-comparable, usually

    "This spreadsheet lets you drill down to daily or even hourly sales figures."

  10. 15
    From a remoter or higher antiquity. not-comparable, usually

    "These traditions have been handed down over generations."

  11. 16
    Into a state of non-operation. not-comparable, usually

    "The computer has been shut down."

  12. 17
    So as to secure or compress something to the floor, ground, or other (usually horizontal) surface. not-comparable, usually

    "We need to nail down this carpet so people don't keep tripping over it."

  13. 18
    On paper (or in a durable record). not-comparable, usually

    "You need to write down what happened while it's still fresh in your mind."

  14. 19
    So as to be cowed into silence. not-comparable, usually

    "The speaker was heckled and shouted down."

  15. 20
    As a down payment. not-comparable, usually

    "We put £100 down on a new sofa."

  16. 21
    In a downwards direction; vertically. not-comparable, usually

    "I'm stuck on 11 down."

  17. 22
    Used with verbs to indicate that the action of the verb was carried to some state of completion, permanence, or success rather than being of indefinite duration. not-comparable, usually

    "He closed operations. / He closed down operations."

  18. 23
    Get down. imperative, not-comparable, usually

    "Down, boy! (such as to direct a dog to stand on four legs from two, or to sit from standing on four legs.)"

Adverb
  1. 1
    spatially or metaphorically from a higher to a lower level or position wordnet
  2. 2
    away from a more central or a more northerly place wordnet
  3. 3
    paid in cash at time of purchase wordnet
  4. 4
    in an inactive or inoperative state wordnet
  5. 5
    to a lower intensity wordnet
Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    from an earlier time wordnet
Preposition
  1. 1
    From the higher end to the lower of.

    "The ball rolled down the hill."

  2. 2
    From north to south of.

    "We sailed down the eastern seaboard."

  3. 3
    Towards the mouth of (a river); in the direction of flow of.

    "In this game we float sticks down the river."

  4. 4
    From one end to another of (in any direction); along.

    "The bus went down the street."

  5. 5
    At (a given place that is seen as removed from one's present location or other point of reference). Ireland, UK

    "I'll see you later down the pub."

Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    To (a given place that is seen as removed from one's present location or other point of reference). Ireland, UK

    "I'm going down the shops."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    One of the six traditional counties of Northern Ireland, usually known as County Down.
  2. 2
    A surname.

Synonyms

All synonyms
activelyadownailingairalkali flatall up with

Antonyms

blissfulexaltedonline activityacross

Example

"You shouldn't look down on him."

Common questions

What does "down" mean?

A negative aspect; a downer, a downside.

What is a synonym for "down"?

Common synonyms include: actively, adown, ailing, air, alkali flat, all up with.

How do you use "down" in a sentence?

You shouldn't look down on him.

How do you pronounce "down"?

Pronounced /daʊn/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English doun, doune, from Old English dūne (“down”), aphetic form of adūne (“down, downward”), from earlier ofdūne (“down”, literally “off the hill”), from of (“of, off of”) + dūn (“hill, mount, dune, down”). More at Etymology 2 below. For the development from directional phrases to prepositions, compare Old Frisian dene (“down”, adverb, literally “(to the) floor”), Middle Low German dāle (“down, downwards”, literally “(in/to the) dale/valley”), whence German Low German dal (“down”). Compare also Saterland Frisian deel (“down”, literally “to/into the dale”), West Frisian del (“down”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English doune, from Old English dūn, from Proto-West Germanic *dūn (“sandhill, dune”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Proto-Germanic *dūnaz, *dūnǭ (“pile, heap”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“smoke, haze, dust”). Alternatively, perhaps borrowed from Proto-Celtic *dūnom (“hill; hillfort”) (compare Welsh din (“city, fort, stronghold”), Irish dún (“hill, fort”)), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“to finish, come full circle”). Cognate with West Frisian dún (“dune, sandhill”), Dutch duin (“dune, sandhill”), German Düne (“dune”). More at town; akin to dune. Doublet of Down.

Etymology 3

From Middle English doun, from Old Norse dúnn, from Proto-Germanic *dūnaz (“down”), which is related to *dauniz (“(pleasant) smell”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰowh₂-nis, from the root *dʰewh₂-. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Duune (“fluff, down”), German Daune (“down”) and Danish dun (“down”).

Etymology 4

From Irish dún (“fortress, stronghold”).

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