down with
Idioms-
Ill with, as in He's down with the flu . The down here alludes to being felled by illness. Also see come down with .
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Depose, do away with, as in Down with the king! This imperative dates from the early 1500s.
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Lower or put something down, as in Down with the mainsail . [Mid-1600s]
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. Be close friends with, as in I'm down with that crowd . [ Slang ; late 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Fear is the greatest obstacle for any entrepreneur”; “sometimes the biggest challenges become our greatest opportunities”; “learning how to lift people up into their roles instead of managing down with constant criticism is key.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
Fury - who had the infamous 11-minute and 20-second stare down with Usyk before their second fight 16 months ago - shared just a short seven-second face-off with Makhmudov, before the 36-year-old left the stage.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
New listings in the fire zone also have slowed down, with only about 1% of severely fire-damaged homes up for sale in February, down from about 2% five months prior.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
Enough that Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, is willing to sit down with her for an hourlong podcast.
From Slate • Apr. 7, 2026
Ella's stomach jumped up and down with each elevator jerk.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.