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downstream

American  
[doun-streem] / ˈdaʊnˈstrim /

adverb

  1. with or in the direction of the current of a stream.

adjective

  1. of or relating to the latter part of a process or system.

  2. Genetics. with or in the direction of transcription, translation, or synthesis of a DNA, RNA, or protein molecule.

downstream British  
/ ˈdaʊnˈstriːm /

adverb

  1. in or towards the lower part of a stream; with the current

  2. (in the oil industry) of or for the refining, distribution, or marketing of oil or its derived products Compare upstream

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of downstream

First recorded in 1700–10; down 1 + stream

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.

Hanley thinks opportunities await commodity investors who understand the connections and can see the downstream impacts before they make headlines.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

As global aluminum prices rise, that should eventually feed through into downstream products.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

“For ICE to sustain the anticipated increase in enforcement operations and arrests in 2026, an increase in detention capacity will be a necessary downstream requirement,” the document concluded.

From Slate • Mar. 12, 2026

The problem was worse downstream in built-up areas, where waterways received discharges from sewage treatment plants and misconnected sewers.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

We can look back and make the era of the American Revolution a center point, then scan the terrain upstream and downstream, but they can only know what is downstream.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

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.