downstream

[ doun-streem ]

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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of downstream¹

First recorded in 1700–10; down ¹ + stream

Example Sentences

The team's findings showed a unique property: The grains start to spread out slowly, then decrease quickly as they move downstream, akin to rock avalanches.

From Science Daily

"What you had in the downstream sector was an inefficient, corrupt monopoly," she says.

From BBC

In Finch v Surrey County Council, which involved a dispute about drilling oil wells near London's Gatwick Airport, the court ruled that an environmental impact assessment must include downstream emissions.

From BBC

But it also “does carry downstream risks or costs,” Schickler said, particularly given Trump’s penchant for “retribution politics” and outright threats to the state.

From Los Angeles Times

And in most of these cases elsewhere, the golden mussel’s range rapidly expanded up or downstream from the point of introduction — usually at a port and then through local, human-mediated pathways, officials said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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