Meaning of down in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Definitions
  3. Classifying Adjective
    1. Definitions
  4. Adverb
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions
  5. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions
  6. Qualitative Adjective
    1. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /daʊn/

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    UK accent Play button

  1. Verb

    down

    Definitions

    1. drink down entirely

    Examples

    • « He downed three martinis before dinner »
    • « She killed a bottle of brandy that night »
    • « They popped a few beer after work »
  2. 2. eat immoderately

    Examples

    • « Some people can down a pound of meat in the course of one meal »

    Derived terms

  3. 3. bring down or defeat (an opponent)
  4. 4. shoot at and force to come down

    Examples

    • « the enemy landed several of our aircraft »

    Derived terms

  5. 5. cause to come or go down

    Examples

    • « The policeman downed the heavily armed suspect »
    • « The mugger knocked down the old lady after she refused to hand over her wallet »

    Derived terms

  6. 6. improve or perfect by pruning or polishing

    Examples

    • « refine one's style of writing »

    Derived terms

  7. Classifying Adjective

    down

    Definitions

    1. understood perfectly

    Examples

    • « had his algebra problems down »

    Synonyms

  8. 2. shut

    Examples

    • « the shades were down »

    Synonyms

  9. 3. cut down

    Examples

    • « the tree is down »

    Synonyms

  10. 4. not functioning (temporarily or permanently)

    Examples

    • « we can't work because the computer is down »

    Synonyms

  11. 5. the fractional price paid in cash at time of purchase

    Examples

    • « the down payment »
    • « a payment of $200 down »

    Synonyms

  12. Adverb

    down

    Etymology

    Old English dūn, dūne, shortened from adūne ‘downward’, from the phrase of dūne ‘off the hill’ (see down)

    Definitions

    1. spatially or metaphorically from a higher to a lower level or position

    Examples

    • « don't fall down »
    • « rode the lift up and skied down »
    • « prices plunged downward »

    Antonyms

  13. 2. away from a more central or a more northerly place

    Examples

    • « was sent down to work at the regional office »
    • « worked down on the farm »
    • « came down for the wedding »
    • « flew down to Florida »

    Antonyms

  14. 3. paid in cash at time of purchase

    Examples

    • « put ten dollars down on the necklace »
  15. 4. from an earlier time

    Examples

    • « the story was passed down from father to son »
  16. 5. to a lower intensity

    Examples

    • « he slowly phased down the light until the stage was completely black »

    Antonyms

  17. 6. in an inactive or inoperative state

    Examples

    • « the factory went down during the strike »
    • « the computer went down again »

  18. Noun

    down

    Etymology

    Middle English: from Old Norse dúnn

    Definitions

    1. soft fine feathers
  19. 2. (American football) a complete play to advance the football

    Examples

    • « you have 4 downs to gain 10 yards »
  20. 3. English physician who first described Down's syndrome (1828-1896)
  21. 4. (usually plural) a rolling treeless highland with little soil
  22. 5. fine soft dense hair (as the fine short hair of cattle or deer or the wool of sheep or the undercoat of certain dogs)

  23. Qualitative Adjective

    down

    Definitions

    1. being or moving lower in position or less in some value

    Examples

    • « lay face down »
    • « the moon is down »
    • « our team is down by a run »
    • « down by a pawn »
    • « the stock market is down today »

    Synonyms

    Antonyms

Famous quotes

  • « Don't you have a machine that puts food into the mouth and pushes it down? »
    Nikita Khrushchev
  • « We smile at the ignorance of the savage who cuts down the tree in order to reach its fruit but the same blunder is made by every person who is over eager and impatient in the pursuit of pleasure. »
    William Ellery Channing
  • « There's no hope of me becoming completely relaxed on stage. If I did, I'd sit down and doze off. »
    Robert Smith
  • « If an Internet company steals content, they shut it down. And let me tell you, Apple France, Yahoo France or Google France, none of them have gone out of business. »
    Harvey Weinstein
  • « Jody Hill, who I created 'Eastbound And Down' and 'Fist Foot Way' with, was my best man at my wedding. »
    Danny McBride

See also

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