plural downers
1
: a depressant drug
especially
: barbiturate
… would often take the stage stoned on downers or high on acid … —
Peter Keough
Peter Keough Suppressant drugs, referred to as "downers", help create feelings of relaxation and tiredness rather than the high that people get from taking "uppers" … —Izzy Lyons
Izzy Lyons 2
: someone or something depressing, disagreeable, or unsatisfactory
Rain, biting insects, and soggy ground are other downers that keep me under cover.—Norman Strung
Norman StrungLosing in their conference tournaments was a major downer for the NC State and East Carolina baseball teams.—Brett Friedlander
Brett Friedlander3
: a weak, sick, or lame domesticated animal (such as a cow or pig) that is down and cannot get up
… the USDA last week instituted a series of measures to reassure consumers that American beef is safe, including a ban on the slaughter of cattle too sick or injured to walk, called downers, for human food.—Cathy Booth Thomas
—often used before another nounCathy Booth Thomasa downer cow
Examples of downer in a Sentence
I took some downers to help me sleep.
“His cat just died.” “Oh, that's a real downer.”
Our conversation about death was a bit of a downer.
Recent Examples on the Web
Amer, who created the series with Ramy auteur Ramy Youssef, spends enough time in this hellish place to make his point about its pointless cruelty but moves on before the new season of Mo becomes an unmitigated downer.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 3 Feb. 2025
Perhaps part of the problem was the downer premise: a broke Phyllis moves in with her San Francisco in-laws and struggles to find a job following the death of her dermatologist husband.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 21 Dec. 2024
Juror #2, Eastwood’s latest drama (and, given his age, possibly his last), seems for a while to be building toward a characteristically bleak punctuation, yet another classic Clint downer of a dénouement.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2025
The price tag was a downer but $200 off today helps a lot!
—Gabriela Vatu, PCMAG, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for downer 
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Judy Berman, TIME, 3 Feb. 2025
Perhaps part of the problem was the downer premise: a broke Phyllis moves in with her San Francisco in-laws and struggles to find a job following the death of her dermatologist husband.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 21 Dec. 2024
Juror #2, Eastwood’s latest drama (and, given his age, possibly his last), seems for a while to be building toward a characteristically bleak punctuation, yet another classic Clint downer of a dénouement.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2025
The price tag was a downer but $200 off today helps a lot!
—Gabriela Vatu, PCMAG, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for downer
Dictionary Entries Near downer
Cite this Entry
“Downer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downer. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
downer
noun
down·er
ˈdau̇n-ər 
1
: a depressant drug
especially
: barbiturate
2
: something that is depressing, disagreeable, or unsatisfactory
Medical Definition
downer
noun
down·er
ˈdau̇-nər
: a depressant drug
especially
: barbiturate
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