Definition Definition

down - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'down' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Down [ a.]
- Downcast; as, a down look.
- Downright; absolute; positive; as, a down denial.
- Downward; going down; sloping; as, a down stroke; a down grade; a down train on a railway.
2 . Down [ adv.]
- In the direction of gravity or toward the center of the earth; toward or in a lower place or position; below; -- the opposite of up.
- From a higher to a lower position, literally or figuratively; in a descending direction; from the top of an ascent; from an upright position; to the ground or floor; to or into a lower or an inferior condition; as, into a state of humility, disgrace, misery, and the like; into a state of rest; -- used with verbs indicating motion.
- In a low or the lowest position, literally or figuratively; at the bottom of a decent; below the horizon; of the ground; in a condition of humility, dejection, misery, and the like; in a state of quiet.
- From a remoter or higher antiquity.
- From a greater to a less bulk, or from a thinner to a thicker consistence; as, to boil down in cookery, or in making decoctions.
- In a descending direction along; from a higher to a lower place upon or within; at a lower place in or on; as, down a hill; down a well.
- Hence: Towards the mouth of a river; towards the sea; as, to sail or swim down a stream; to sail down the sound.
3 . Down [ n.]
- Fine, soft, hairy outgrowth from the skin or surface of animals or plants, not matted and fleecy like wool
- The soft under feathers of birds. They have short stems with soft rachis and bards and long threadlike barbules, without hooklets.
- The pubescence of plants; the hairy crown or envelope of the seeds of certain plants, as of the thistle.
- The soft hair of the face when beginning to appear.
- That which is made of down, as a bed or pillow; that which affords ease and repose, like a bed of down
4 . Down [ prep.]
- A bank or rounded hillock of sand thrown up by the wind along or near the shore; a flattish-topped hill; -- usually in the plural.
- A tract of poor, sandy, undulating or hilly land near the sea, covered with fine turf which serves chiefly for the grazing of sheep; -- usually in the plural.
- A road for shipping in the English Channel or Straits of Dover, near Deal, employed as a naval rendezvous in time of war.
- A state of depression; low state; abasement.
5 . Down [ v. i.]
- To go down; to descend.
6 . Down [ v. t.]
- To cover, ornament, line, or stuff with down.
- To cause to go down; to make descend; to put down; to overthrow, as in wrestling; hence, to subdue; to bring down.

Meaning of 'down' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . down [ n]
Meaning (1):
- (American football) a complete play to advance the football
Example in sentence:
  • you have four downs to gain ten yards
2 . down [ v]
Meaning (2):
- drink down entirely
Example in sentence:
  • He downed three martinis before dinner;
  • She killed a bottle of brandy that night;
  • They popped a few beer after work
Meaning (3):
- improve or perfect by pruning or polishing
Example in sentence:
  • refine one's style of writing
Meaning (4):
- eat up completely, as with great appetite
Example in sentence:
  • Some people can down a pound of meat in the course of one meal;
  • The teenagers demolished four pizzas among them
Meaning (5):
- shoot at and force to come down
Example in sentence:
  • the enemy landed several of our aircraft
Meaning (6):
- cause to come or go down
Example in sentence:
  • The mugger knocked down the old lady after she refused to hand over her wallet;
  • The policeman downed the heavily armed suspect
7 . down [ a]
Meaning (7):
- being or moving lower in position or less in some value
Example in sentence:
  • down by a pawn;
  • lay face down;
  • our team is down by a run;
  • the moon is down;
  • the stock market is down today
8 . down [ r]
Meaning (8):
- away from a more central or a more northerly place
Example in sentence:
  • came down for the wedding;
  • flew down to Florida;
  • was sent down to work at the regional office;
  • worked down on the farm
Meaning (9):
- spatially or metaphorically from a higher to a lower level or position
Example in sentence:
  • don't fall down;
  • prices plunged downward;
  • rode the lift up and skied down
Meaning (10):
- to a lower intensity
Example in sentence:
  • he slowly phased down the light until the stage was completely black
Meaning (11):
- paid in cash at time of purchase
Example in sentence:
  • put ten dollars down on the necklace
Meaning (12):
- in an inactive or inoperative state
Example in sentence:
  • the computer went down again;
  • the factory went down during the strike
Meaning (13):
- from an earlier time
Example in sentence:
  • the story was passed down from father to son
14 . down [ s]
Meaning (14):
- filled with melancholy and despondency
Example in sentence:
  • a dispirited and resigned expression on her face;
  • a gloomy silence;
  • depressed by the loss of his job;
  • downcast after his defeat;
  • feeling discouraged and downhearted;
  • gloomy at the thought of what he had to face;
  • gloomy predictions;
  • lonely and blue in a strange city;
  • the darkening mood;
  • took a grim view of the economy
Meaning (15):
- understood perfectly
Example in sentence:
  • had his algebra problems down
Meaning (16):
- lower than previously
Example in sentence:
  • prices are down;
  • the market is depressed
Meaning (17):
- extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
Example in sentence:
  • the down staircase;
  • the downward course of the stream
Meaning (18):
- becoming progressively lower
Example in sentence:
  • the down trend in the real estate market
Meaning (19):
- shut
Example in sentence:
  • the shades were down
Meaning (20):
- being put out by a strikeout
Example in sentence:
  • two down in the bottom of the ninth
Meaning (21):
- not functioning (temporarily or permanently)
Example in sentence:
  • we can't work because the computer is down

Nearby Words:

dow dowable dowager dowagerism dowcet dowdies dowdy dowdyish dowel doweled

See 'down' also in:

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