be down
Idioms-
Be depressed, in low spirits, as in During the winter months Sue's always down, but spring cheers her up . [ Colloquial ; mid-1800s]
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Be knowledgeable, canny, or sophisticated, as in He was really down with the new group . This usage probably originated among jazz musicians. [ Slang ; mid-1940s]
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.
But through the end of that period, Nike also said it expects revenue to be down in the low-single-digit percentage range.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
Asian oil demand will soon be down to a possible 300,000 barrels a day, on the way to a three-million-barrel drop.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
On Friday, Clear’s stock tumbled as much as 12% intraday, before bouncing slightly to be down 10.7% in recent afternoon trading.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026
Whether or not Wales get to the World Cup this summer, it will not be down to a lack of preparation.
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026
“Good,” Ben sighed, “tell them I’ll be down in about six hours.”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
