down

¹

[ doun ]

adverb

1. from higher to lower; in descending direction or order; toward, into, or in a lower position:

   to come down the ladder.

2. on or to the ground, floor, or bottom:

   He fell down.

3. to or in a sitting or lying position.
4. to or in a position, area, or district considered lower, especially from a geographical or cartographic standpoint, as to the south, a business district, etc.:

   We drove from San Francisco down to Los Angeles.

5. to or at a lower value or rate.
6. to a lesser pitch or volume:

   Turn down the radio.

7. in or to a calmer, less active, or less prominent state:

   The wind died down.

8. from an earlier to a later time:

   from the 17th century down to the present.

9. from a greater to a lesser strength, amount, etc.:

   to water down liquor.

10. in an attitude of earnest application:

    to get down to work.

11. on paper or in a book:

    Write down the address.

12. in cash at the time of purchase; at once:

    We paid $50 down and $20 a month.

13. to the point of defeat, submission, inactivity, etc.:

    They shouted down the opposition.

14. in or into a fixed or supine position:

    They tied down the struggling animal.

15. to the source or actual position:

    The dogs tracked down the bear.

16. into a condition of ill health:

    He's come down with a cold.

17. in or into a lower status or condition:

    kept down by lack of education.

18. Nautical. toward the lee side, so as to turn a vessel to windward:

    Put the helm down!

19. Slang. on toast (as used in ordering a sandwich at a lunch counter or restaurant):

    Give me a tuna down.

preposition

1. in a descending or more remote direction or place on, over, or along:

   They ran off down the street.

adjective

1. downward; going or directed downward:

   the down escalator.

2. being at a low position or on the ground, floor, or bottom.
3. toward the south, a business district, etc.
4. associated with or serving traffic, transportation, or the like, directed toward the south, a business district, etc.:

   the down platform.

5. downcast; depressed; dejected:

   You seem very down today.

6. ailing, especially, sick and bedridden:

   He's been down with a bad cold.

7. being the portion of the full price, as of an article bought on the installment plan, that is paid at the time of purchase or delivery:

   a payment of $200 down.

8. Football. (of the ball) not in play.
9. Slang.
   1. agreeing, supporting, or understanding:

      I'm totally down with that.

      He's down with those kids.

   2. sophisticated or hip; cool:

      That music is down.

10. behind an opponent or opponents in points, games, etc.:

    The team won the pennant despite having been down three games in the final week of play.

11. Baseball. out.
12. losing or having lost the amount indicated, especially at gambling:

    After an hour at poker, he was down $10.

13. having placed one's bet:

    Are you down for the fourth race?

14. finished, done, considered, or taken care of:

    five down and one to go.

15. out of order; not functioning:

    The computer has been down all day.

noun

1. a downward movement; descent.
2. a turn for the worse; reverse:

   The business cycle experienced a sudden down.

3. Football.
   1. one of a series of four plays during which a team must advance the ball at least 10 yards (9 meters) to keep possession of it.
   2. the declaring of the ball as down or out of play, or the play immediately preceding this.
4. Slang. an order of toast at a lunch counter or restaurant.
5. Slang. downer ( defs 1a, 1b ).

verb (used with object)

1. to put, knock, or throw down; subdue:

   He downed his opponent in the third round.

2. to drink down, especially quickly or in one gulp:

   to down a tankard of ale.

3. Informal. to defeat in a game or contest:

   The Mets downed the Dodgers in today's game.

4. to cause to fall from a height, especially by shooting:

   Antiaircraft guns downed ten bombers.

verb (used without object)

1. to go down; fall.

interjection

1. (used as a command to a dog to stop attacking, to stop jumping on someone, to get off a couch or chair, etc.):

   Down, Rover!

2. (used as a command or warning to duck, take cover, or the like):

   Down! They're starting to shoot!

down

²

[ doun ]

noun

1. the soft, first plumage of many young birds.
2. the soft under plumage of birds as distinct from the contour feathers.
3. the under plumage of some birds, as geese and ducks, used for filling in quilts, clothing, etc., chiefly for warmth.
4. a growth of soft, fine hair or the like.
5. Botany.
   1. a fine, soft pubescence on plants and some fruits.
   2. the light, feathery pappus or coma on seeds by which they are borne on the wind, as on the dandelion and thistle.

adjective

1. filled with down:

   a down jacket.

down

³

[ doun ]

noun

1. Often downs. (used especially in southern England) open, rolling, upland country with fairly smooth slopes usually covered with grass.
2. (initial capital letter) any sheep of several breeds, raised originally in the downs of southern England, as the Southdown, Suffolk, etc.
3. Archaic. a hill, especially a sand hill or dune.

Down

⁴

[ doun ]

noun

1. a county in SW Northern Ireland. 952 sq. mi. (2,466 sq. km). : Downpatrick.
2. an administrative district in this county. 253 sq. mi. (654 sq. km).

down

¹

/ daʊn /

noun

1. the soft fine feathers with free barbs that cover the body of a bird and prevent loss of heat. In the adult they lie beneath and between the contour feathers
2. another name for eiderdown
3. botany a fine coating of soft hairs, as on certain leaves, fruits, and seeds
4. any growth or coating of soft fine hair, such as that on the human face

Down

²

/ daʊn /

noun

1. a district of SE Northern Ireland, in Co Down. Pop: 65 195 (2003 est). Area: 649 sq km (250 sq miles)
2. a historical county of SE Northern Ireland, on the Irish Sea: generally hilly, rising to the Mountains of Mourne: in 1973 it was replaced for administrative purposes by the districts of Ards, Banbridge, Castlereagh, Down, Newry and Mourne, North Down, and part of Lisburn. Area: 2466 sq km (952 sq miles)

down

³

/ daʊn /

preposition

1. used to indicate movement from a higher to a lower position

   they went down the mountain

2. at a lower or further level or position on, in, or along

   he ran down the street

adverb

1. downwards; at or to a lower level or position

   don't fall down

2. particle used with many verbs when the result of the verb's action is to lower or destroy its object

   bring down

   pull down

   knock down

3. particle used with several verbs to indicate intensity or completion

   calm down

4. immediately

   cash down

5. on paper

   write this down

6. arranged; scheduled

   the meeting is down for next week

7. in a helpless position

   they had him down on the ground

8. 1. away from a more important place

      down from London

   2. away from a more northerly place

      down from Scotland

   3. (of a member of some British universities) away from the university; on vacation
   4. in a particular part of a country

      down south

9. nautical (of a helm) having the rudder to windward
10. reduced to a state of lack or want

    down to the last pound

11. lacking a specified amount

    at the end of the day the cashier was ten pounds down

12. lower in price

    bacon is down

13. including all intermediate terms, grades, people, etc

    from managing director down to tea-lady

14. from an earlier to a later time

    the heirloom was handed down

15. to a finer or more concentrated state

    to grind down

    boil down

16. sport being a specified number of points, goals, etc behind another competitor, team, etc

    six goals down

17. (of a person) being inactive, owing to illness

    down with flu

18. functioning as imperative (to dogs)

    down Rover!

19. down with
    functioning as imperative wanting the end of somebody or something

    down with the king!

20. get down on something
    to procure something, esp in advance of needs or in anticipation of someone else

adjective

1. postpositive depressed or miserable
2. prenominal of or relating to a train or trains from a more important place or one regarded as higher

   the down line

3. postpositive (of a device, machine, etc, esp a computer) temporarily out of action
4. made in cash

   a down payment

5. down to
   the responsibility or fault of

   this defeat was down to me

6. down with informal.
   1. having a good understanding of

      down with computers

   2. in agreement with

      completely down with that idea

   3. enjoying mutual friendship and respect with

      down with the kids

verb

1. tr to knock, push or pull down
2. intr to go or come down
3. informal.
   tr to drink, esp quickly

   he downed three gins

4. tr to bring (someone) down, esp by tackling

noun

1. American football one of a maximum of four consecutive attempts by one team to advance the ball a total of at least ten yards
2. a descent; downward movement
3. a lowering or a poor period (esp in the phrase ups and downs )
4. have a down on informal.
   to bear ill will towards (someone or something)

down

⁴

/ daʊn /

noun

1. archaic.
   a hill, esp a sand dune See also downs Downs

Down

⁵

/ daʊn /

noun

1. any of various lowland breeds of sheep, typically of stocky build and having dense close wool, originating from various parts of southern England, such as Oxford, Hampshire, etc See also Dorset Down
2. another name for Hampshire Down

Other Words From

• un·downed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of down¹

First recorded before 1100; Middle English doune, Old English dūne, shortening of adūne for of dūne “off (the) hill”; a- ², down ³

Origin of down²

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English downe, from Old Norse dūnn; akin to Sanskrit dhūmá- “smoke,” Greek thȳmós “soul, breath, spirit,” Latin fūmus “smoke,” Lithuanian dū́mai “smoke,” Slavic (Polish) dym “smoke”

Origin of down³

First recorded before 1000; Middle English dun, dune “hill, elevation,” Old English dūn “mountain, hill, down”; cognate with Dutch duin “mound, dune,” akin to Irish, Old Irish dún “citadel, fortress”; dune, town

Word History and Origins

Origin of down¹

C14: of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse dūnn

Origin of down²

Old English dūne, short for adūne, variant of of dūne, literally: from the hill, from of , off + dūn hill; see down ³

Origin of down³

Old English dūn; related to Old Frisian dūne , Old Saxon dūna hill, Old Irish dūn fortress, Greek this sandbank; see dune , town

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. down with!
   1. away with! cease!:

      Down with tyranny!

   2. on or toward the ground or into a lower position:

      Down with your rifles!

2. down and out, down-and-out.
3. down in the mouth, discouraged; depressed; sad.
4. down on, Informal. hostile or averse to:

   Why are you so down on sports?

5. down cold / pat, mastered or learned perfectly:

   Another hour of studying and I'll have the math lesson down cold.

More idioms and phrases containing down

• back down
• batten down the hatches
• bear down
• beat down
• be down
• belt down
• bog down
• boil down to
• break down
• breathe down one's neck
• bring down
• bring down the house
• buckle down
• build down
• burn down
• call down
• cast down
• caught with one's pants down
• chow down
• clamp down
• close down
• come down
• come down on
• come down to
• come down with
• cool down
• cool off (down)
• count down
• crack down
• cut down
• deep down
• die away (down)
• dig down
• draw down
• dressing down
• face down
• fall down
• flag down to
• get down to brass tacks
• go down (downhill)
• go down the line
• hand down
• hands down
• hold down
• it's all downhill
• jump down someone's throat
• keep down
• knock back (down)
• knock down with a feather
• knuckle down
• lay down
• lay down the law
• lead down the garden path
• let down easy
• let one's hair down
• let someone down
• let the side down
• lie down (on the job)
• live down
• look down on
• lowdown, get the
• mark down
• mow down
• nail down
• pin down
• pipe down
• play down
• plunk down
• pull down
• put down
• put down roots
• put one's foot down
• ram down someone's throat
• ring down the curtain
• rub down
• run down
• scale down
• sell down the river
• send down
• set down
• settle down
• shake down
• shoot down
• shout down
• shut down
• simmer down
• sit down
• slap down
• slow down
• splash down
• stand down
• stare down
• step down
• strike down
• suit down to the ground
• take down
• take down a notch
• take lying down
• talk down to
• tear down
• the lowdown on
• throw down the gauntlet
• thumbs up (down)
• tie down
• tone down
• touch down
• track down
• trade down
• turn down
• turn upside down
• ups and downs
• vote down
• wash down
• water down
• wear down
• weigh down
• when it comes (down) to
• when the chips are down
• wind down
• write down

Example Sentences

Oxytocin itself cannot be taken orally because it is rapidly broken down in the gastrointestinal tract.

From Science Daily

“Brought the victim down, where he was placed in an ambulance and transported to Palomar Hospital in critical condition.”

From Los Angeles Times

Someone asks a question and then it takes a couple of breaths and then they just move on, because we can't slow down to hear them.

From Salon

We are the ones who have let ourselves down, probably, so far.

From BBC

A ballistic missile generally gets to target by following an arcing path up into the atmosphere and a similar one down towards its destination.

From BBC

Related Words

• low
• off