downtown
Americanadverb
adjective
noun
noun
adverb
adjective
Other Word Forms
- downtowner noun
Etymology
Origin of downtown
Explanation
Downtown is the area of a city that's the busiest, with the most shops, restaurants, buildings, and pedestrians. You can usually take a bus, train, or subway to get around downtown. The widespread use of downtown probably started in New York City during the early 19th century. The original city hub was located at the southern tip of Manhattan, and as development proceeded northward, New Yorkers began to distinguish between downtown and uptown. In many cities today, downtown doesn't refer to the southern area of the city, just its heart or center.
Vocabulary lists containing downtown
Spelling Practice 1, Unit 7
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"Ballad of Birmingham" by Dudley Randall
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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.
Where the first wave of bands that emerged from downtown were more traditionally rock and roll and melodic, No Wave was the louder, darker, discordant underbelly and the logical next step.
From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026
The next day, LA Lakers orthopaedic surgeon Steve Lombardo rang McKechnie to apologise and asked if he would see O'Neal the following week, and whether he would come into downtown Vancouver for the consultation.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
Jaime Alvarez, an 11th grader at Thomas Jefferson High School in South Los Angeles, walked out of class in the morning and took the bus downtown with his friends.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
About 10 miles from downtown, the roughly 6,800-square-foot home has views of the cityscape, Dry Creek and the mountains around Bogus Basin, according to Eberle.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
Not the part where we lied repeatedly to pursue a top-secret investigation that ultimately led the FBI to finding Mom in Jack Peterson’s townhouse in downtown Chicago.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
