What does "lower" mean?
A bicycle suspension fork component.
Lower
/ˈləʊ.ə/ adj, adv, name, noun, verb
adj, adv, name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A bicycle suspension fork component.
- Grammar: lower is listed as adj, adv, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: depress, drop, reduce, abase.
- Useful contrasts: higher, upper, advanced spanish class.
- Usage evidence: I won't lower myself to his level.
How to use "lower"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lower" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- 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 "lower" 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 "lower" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lower" 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 "lower" is acting as adj, adv, name, noun, verb 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 "depress" 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 "lower", 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 A bicycle suspension fork component.
- 2 the lower of two berths wordnet
Verb
- 1 To let descend by its own weight, as something suspended; to let down transitive
"lower a bucket into a well"
- 2 Alternative spelling of lour. alt-of, alternative
"Now is the winter of our diſcontent, / Made glorious ſummer by this ſonne of Yorke: / And all the cloudes that lowrd vpon our houſe, / In the deepe boſome of the Ocean buried."
- 3 look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval wordnet
- 4 To pull down transitive
"to lower a flag"
- 5 make lower or quieter wordnet
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 To reduce the height of transitive
"lower a fence or wall"
- 7 set lower wordnet
- 8 To depress as to direction transitive
"lower the aim of a gun"
- 9 cause to drop or sink wordnet
- 10 To make less elevated transitive
"to lower one's ambition, aspirations, or hopes"
- 11 move something or somebody to a lower position wordnet
- 12 To reduce the degree, intensity, strength, etc., of transitive
"lower the temperature"
- 13 To bring down; to humble transitive
"lower one's pride"
- 14 To humble oneself; to do something one considers to be beneath one's dignity. reflexive
"I could never lower myself enough to buy second-hand clothes."
- 15 To reduce (something) in value, amount, etc. transitive
"lower the price of goods"
- 16 To fall; to sink; to grow less; to diminish; to decrease intransitive
"The river lowered as rapidly as it rose."
- 17 To decrease in value, amount, etc. intransitive
- 18 To reduce operations to single machine instructions, as part of compilation of a program. transitive
Adjective
- 1 comparative form of low: more low comparative, form-of
- 2 Bottom; more towards the bottom than the middle of an object.
- 3 Situated on lower ground, nearer a coast, or more southerly.
"Lower Manhattan"
- 4 Older.
Adjective
- 1 the bottom one of two wordnet
Adverb
- 1 comparative form of low: more low comparative, form-of
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"I won't lower myself to his level."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lower"?
Common synonyms include: depress, drop, reduce, abase, abash, abated.
How do you use "lower" in a sentence?
I won't lower myself to his level.
How do you pronounce "lower"?
Pronounced /ˈləʊ.ə/.
Etymology
From low + -er (comparative suffix).