down under

American  

Or Down Under

noun

1. Australia or New Zealand.

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adverb

1. in, to, or into Australia or New Zealand.

down under British  

noun

1. Australia or New Zealand

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adverb

1. in or to Australia or New Zealand

Etymology

Origin of down under

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

The discovery is exciting because it appears to capture an asteroid actively breaking down under intense solar heat.

From Science Daily • May 14, 2026

Prince Harry and wife Meghan arrived in Australia on Tuesday for their first visit down under since their headline-dominating rift with Britain's royal family.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

There the novel was handed to librarian Jessica Berry who contacted the team in the UK, but no one yet knows how it ended up down under.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Gawker was forced to shut down under the weight of lawsuits, Vice Media filed for bankruptcy and is a shadow of itself, and BuzzFeed now warns it could go out of business entirely this year.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026

There was sky above them, blue and clear to their surprise, for down under the Forest-roof they had not been able to see the rising morning and the lifting of the mist.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien