down

/daʊn/

/daʊn/

Other forms: downs; downed

The adverb down means "from a higher place to a lower one," like when a person climbs down a ladder or a waiter puts a tray full of cakes down on a table.

Anything that moves lower — in height, location, or volume — is down, so you can travel down south, tell your dog to get down, or turn your loud music down. Down can also refer to a mood or condition; if you're feeling down, you're sad, and if your computer is down, it's not working. Another meaning of down is the soft feathers of a young bird, which is sometimes used to fill coats or comforters.

Definitions of down

1. adverb

   spatially or metaphorically from a higher to a lower level or position
   “don't fall down”

   “rode the lift up and skied down”

   synonyms: downward, downwardly, downwards

   antonyms:

   up

   spatially or metaphorically from a lower to a higher position
2. adverb

   to a lower intensity
   “he slowly phased down the light until the stage was completely black”

   antonyms:

   up

   to a higher intensity
3. adjective

   being or moving lower in position or less in some value
   “lay face down”

   “the moon is down”

   “our team is down by a run”

   “down by a pawn”

   “the stock market is down today”

   synonyms:

   low

   literal meanings; being at or having a relatively small elevation or upward extension

   descending

   coming down or downward

   behind

   having the lower score or lagging position in a contest

   downbound

   heading in any direction that is conventionally down

   downcast

   directed downward

   downfield

   toward or in the defending team's end of the playing field

   downward

   on or toward a surface regarded as a base

   fallen

   having dropped by the force of gravity

   set

   being below the horizon

   thrown

   caused to fall to the ground

   weak

   tending downward in price

   antonyms:

   up

   being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

   high

   (literal meaning) being at or having a relatively great or specific elevation or upward extension (sometimes used in combinations like `knee-high')

   ascending

   moving or going or growing upward

   ahead, in the lead, leading

   having the leading position or higher score in a contest

   aweigh

   (used of an anchor) hanging clear of the bottom

   dormie, dormy

   in match play a side that stands as many holes ahead as there are holes remaining to be played

   heavenward, skyward

   directed toward heaven or the sky

   risen

   (of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon

   sprouted

   (of growing vegetation) having just emerged from the ground

   upbound

   heading in any direction that is conventionally up

   upfield

   away from the defending teams' end of the playing field

   upward

   directed up
4. adjective

   becoming progressively lower
   “the down trend in the real estate market”

   synonyms:

   falling

   becoming lower or less in degree or value
5. adjective

   extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
   “the down staircase”

   synonyms: downward

   descending

   coming down or downward
6. adjective

   lower than previously
   “prices are down”

   synonyms: depressed

   low

   less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
7. adjective

   shut
   “the shades were down”

   synonyms:

   lowered

   below the surround or below the normal position
8. verb

   cause to come or go down
   “The policeman downed the heavily armed suspect”

   synonyms: cut down, knock down, pull down, push down

   types:

   submarine

   bring down with a blow to the legs

   type of:

   strike, zonk

   deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
9. verb

   bring down or defeat (an opponent)
   synonyms: topple

   type of:

   defeat, get the better of, overcome

   win a victory over
10. verb

    shoot at and force to come down
    synonyms: land, shoot down
11. noun

    (American football) a complete play to advance the football
    “you have four downs to gain ten yards”

    type of:

    play, turn

    (game) the activity of doing something in an agreed succession
12. verb

    drink down entirely
    synonyms: belt down, bolt down, drink down, kill, pop, pour down, toss off

    type of:

    drink, imbibe

    take in liquids
13. verb

    eat immoderately
    “Some people can down a pound of meat in the course of one meal”

    synonyms: consume, devour, go through

    type of:

    eat

    take in solid food
14. adverb

    in an inactive or inoperative state
    “the factory went down during the strike”

    “the computer went down again”
15. adjective

    not functioning (temporarily or permanently)
    “we can't work because the computer is down”

    synonyms:

    inoperative

    not working or taking effect
16. adjective

    filled with melancholy and despondency
    synonyms: blue, depressed, dispirited, down in the mouth, downcast, downhearted, gloomy, grim, low, low-spirited

    dejected

    affected or marked by low spirits
17. adjective

    being put out by a strikeout
    “two down in the bottom of the ninth”

    synonyms:

    out

    not allowed to continue to bat or run
18. adverb

    away from a more central or a more northerly place
    “was sent down to work at the regional office”

    “worked down on the farm”

    “came down for the wedding”

    “flew down to Florida”

    antonyms:

    up

    to a more central or a more northerly place
19. adverb

    paid in cash at time of purchase
    “put ten dollars down on the necklace”
20. adverb

    from an earlier time
    “the story was passed down from father to son”
21. adjective

    understood perfectly
    “had his algebra problems down”

    synonyms: down pat, mastered

    perfect

    being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
22. verb

    improve or perfect by pruning or polishing
    synonyms: fine-tune, polish, refine

    types:

    over-refine, overrefine

    refine too much or with excess of subtlety

    civilise, civilize, cultivate, educate, school, train

    teach or refine to be discriminative in taste or judgment

    sophisticate

    make less natural or innocent

    type of:

    ameliorate, amend, better, improve, meliorate

    make better
23. noun

    soft fine feathers
    synonyms: down feather

    types:

    duck down

    down of the duck

    goose down

    down of the goose

    swan's down

    down of the swan

    plumule

    down feather of young birds; persists in some adult birds

    eiderdown

    down of the eider duck

    type of:

    feather, plumage, plume

    the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds
24. noun

    fine soft dense hair (as the fine short hair of cattle or deer or the wool of sheep or the undercoat of certain dogs)
    synonyms: pile

    types:

    lanugo

    the fine downy hair covering a human fetus; normally shed during the ninth month of gestation

    type of:

    hair

    a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
25. noun

    (usually plural) a rolling treeless highland with little soil
    type of:

    highland, upland

    elevated (e.g., mountainous) land