1
a(1)
: toward or in a lower physical position
Don't look down.
Pull down the blind.
(2)
: to a lying or sitting position
Please sit down.
(3)
: toward or to the ground, floor, or bottom
burned the house down
fell down
b
: as a down payment
paid $10 down
c
: on paper
put down what he says
2
: in a direction that is the opposite of up: such as
a
: southward
traveled down to South Africa
b
: to or toward a point away from the speaker or the speaker's point of reference
walked down to my neighbor's house
c
: in or into the stomach
can't keep food down
3
: to a lesser degree, level, or rate
cool down tensions
Try to calm down.
4
: to or toward a lower position in a series
seems to be far down on their agenda
moved down in the pop charts
5
a
: to or in a lower or worse condition or status
students held down by a lack of social support
b
—used to indicate thoroughness or completion
dusted down the house
described him down to his haircut
6
: from a past time
stories passed down by word of mouth
7
: to or in a state of less activity or prominence
scaled down our plans
8
: to a concentrated state
got the report down to three pages
9
: into defeat
voted the motion down
: down (see down entry 1) along, around, through, toward, in, into, or on
fell down the stairs
write down the phone number
down the years
grew up down the block from each other
pacing up and down the room
downed; downing; downs
1
: to cause to go or come down (see down entry 1) : such as
a
: to cause to fall by or as if by shooting : bring down sense 1
downed the enemy helicopter
b
: consume sense 3
downing slices of pizza
2
football
: to cause (a ball) to be out of play
downed the ball at the five-yard line
3
: defeat
down a proposal
: to go down
1
a(1)
: occupying a low position
specifically
: lying on the ground
down timber
(2)
: directed or going downward
attendance is down
b
: lower in price
c
football
: not being in play because of wholly stopped progress or because the officials stop the play
The ball was down.
d
: defeated or trailing an opponent (as in points scored)
down by two runs
e
baseball
: out
two down in the top of the third inning
2
4
: completely mastered
had her lines down
—often used with patgot the answers down pat
5
a
slang
: cool sense 7
a down dude
b
slang
: understanding or supportive of something or someone
—usually used with with
trying to prove that they were down with hip-hop culture—
J. E. White
J. E. White6
: being on record
you're down for two tickets
1
: descent, depression
emotional ups and downs
the ups and downs of the business cycle
2
: an instance of putting down someone (such as an opponent in wrestling)
3
football
a
: a complete play to advance the ball
b
: one of a series of four attempts in American football or three attempts in Canadian football to advance the ball 10 yards
caught the ball on third down
5
: downer
1
: a covering of soft fluffy feathers
also
: these feathers
goose down pillows
2
: something soft and fluffy like down
a trace of down on his cheeks
: down syndrome
—usually used attributively
a Down baby
Synonyms
Adverb
Verb
Adjective
Noun (1)
Noun (2)
Noun (3)
Examples of down in a Sentence
Adverb
The land slopes down to the sea.
She called down to her friends in the street below.
They set the cake down on the table.
Lay down your book for a minute.
We watched the sun go down.
We keep our wine collection down in the basement.
What's going on down there?
He fell down and hurt his knee.
Climb down out of that tree!
He knocked him down with one punch.
Preposition
Sweat dripped down her neck.
The children ran down the hill.
She fell down the stairs.
He climbed down the ladder.
He spilled mustard down the front of his shirt.
Her hair hung loosely down her back.
Go down the road and turn left.
We grew up down the block from each other.
The bathroom is halfway down the hall on the right.
His pitches were right down the middle of the plate.
Verb
The storm downed power lines throughout the city.
a large number of downed power lines
They were downing beers and watching the game on TV.
The quarterback downed the ball to stop the clock.
Adjective
The window shades were down.
The candy is down on the bottom shelf.
There was a pile of dirty clothes down on the floor.
She took the down escalator.
These changes should help keep prices down.
Stocks are down again today.
Noun (1)
a comforter filled with goose down
Noun (2)
lately it's been one down after another in my life
I don't understand why she'd have such a down against me; we've never even spoken to each other!
for years after the war her grandfather had an unshakable down on the Germans
suffered with a psychological disorder in which she alternated between emotional ups and downs
experienced the ups and downs of a career in showbiz
Noun (3)
hold a festival on the downs
Recent Examples on the Web
Abigail Barronian, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024
The Broncos navigated their final drive beautifully, bled the clock all the way down and didn’t give it back to Mahomes.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 10 Nov. 2024
Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
Scrambling to tamp down the spread of the devastating disease, public health officials are blasting messages to South Dakotans on billboards and television, urging people to get tested.
—Kff Health News, Orange County Register, 13 Nov. 2024
Ryan MacAsero, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
Left in the wake of the tornadoes were damage to several structures and downed power lines, traffic lights and trees, the Oklahoma City Fire Department said.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press, 2 Nov. 2024
The Vikings have played something of a slow down offense this season, especially in recent weeks.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Frederick Dreier and Adam Roy, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024
The results made something very clear– Black people in the United States heavily rely on Christianity to get through the ups and downs of everyday life.
—Maya Richard-Craven, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for down 
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.
Adverb
On cold days, its extra length and 650-fill-power down feel like a warm hug.
—Abigail Barronian, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024
The Broncos navigated their final drive beautifully, bled the clock all the way down and didn’t give it back to Mahomes.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 10 Nov. 2024
Preposition
The incident outside the Embarcadero Station on Market Street closed down the system for about 40 minutes during the morning commute, officials said.
—Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
Scrambling to tamp down the spread of the devastating disease, public health officials are blasting messages to South Dakotans on billboards and television, urging people to get tested.
—Kff Health News, Orange County Register, 13 Nov. 2024
Verb
Approximately 40 firefighters responded to the blaze, which was first reported at 11:43 a.m., destroyed one building, damaged at least three others, and downed utility wires along 17th Street.
—Ryan MacAsero, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
Left in the wake of the tornadoes were damage to several structures and downed power lines, traffic lights and trees, the Oklahoma City Fire Department said.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
But the top of the ticket often has an impact on down ballot races.
—Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press, 2 Nov. 2024
The Vikings have played something of a slow down offense this season, especially in recent weeks.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Noun
Fans of opening day are looking for that oomph to carry you through a long season of ups and downs.
—Frederick Dreier and Adam Roy, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024
The results made something very clear– Black people in the United States heavily rely on Christianity to get through the ups and downs of everyday life.
—Maya Richard-Craven, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for down
Dictionary Entries Near down
Cite this Entry
“Down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/down. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
down
1 of 7 noun
: a rolling grassy upland
—usually used in plural
down
2 of 7 adverb1
a
: toward or in a lower position
b
: to a lying or sitting position
c
: toward or to the ground, floor, or bottom
2
: as a down payment
paid $10 down
3
: in a direction opposite to up
add the numbers across and down
4
: to or in a lower or worse condition
held down by a bad economy
5
: from a past time
heirlooms that have been handed down
6
: to or in a state of less activity
excitement died down
down
3 of 7 adjective1
a
: being in a low position
especially
: lying on the ground
b
: directed or going downward
a down escalator
c
: being at a lower level
sales are down
2
a
: low in spirits : sad
feeling a bit down
b
: sick sense 1a
down with flu
3
: being finished or come to an end
eight down and two to go
down
4 of 7 preposition
: down along : down through : down toward : down in : down into : down on
down the road
down
5 of 7 noun1
: a low or falling period
the ups and downs of life
2
: one of a series of four plays that a football team gets to advance the ball ten yards
down
6 of 7 verb1
: to go or cause to go or come down
2
3
: to cause (a football) to be out of play
down
7 of 7 noun1
: a covering of soft fluffy feathers
2
: something soft and fluffy like down
Etymology
Noun
Old English dūn "hill"
Adverb
Old English dūne "down," shortened from adūne, literally, "off the hill," from a- "off" and dūne, form of dūn "hill"
Noun
Middle English doun "down, feathers"; of Norse origin
Geographical Definition
Down
geographical name
1
district of southeastern Northern Ireland bordering the Irish Sea; established 1974 area 250 square miles (650 square kilometers), population 69,750
2
traditional county of southeastern Northern Ireland
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