Synonyms: Downward

From waterfalls to Jenga towers to cartoon coyotes, this list has words for everything that drops, droops, or topples. For more synonym lists, explore our Say What You Mean resources.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abate
    become less in amount or intensity
    “I pray this grief of yours will soon abate and that you will return to your usual self.” Ophelia
  2. buckle
    fold or collapse
    Her knees felt weak, like they might buckle at any moment. When Dimple Met Rishi
    You buckle your belt to fasten it, but buckle also means "to fold and fall down."
  3. cascade
    rush down in big quantities
    Further inland are the Tuxtla Mountains, with many rivers cascading down their flanks. 1491
    A cascade is a waterfall, or a series of them, and it can also describe a sequence of events where each is caused by the one preceding it. Cascata means "fall" in Italian.
  4. collapse
    break down, literally or metaphorically
    To founder is to collapse, fail completely, or sink like a ship. Woe Is I
  5. decline
    go down
    As the centuries advanced, the quality of the ceramics inexorably declined. 1491
  6. degrade
    lower the rank or value of something
    Soon after the party returned to Chislehurst, however, Olmsted’s health degraded and insomnia again shattered his nights. The Devil in the White City
  7. depreciate
    lower the value of something
    The art of the art selfie is depreciating with every share. Salon (Jan 1, 2015)
    If an investment — like a limited edition Mandalorian action figure — appreciates, then it goes up in value. If it depreciates, its value goes down.
  8. descend
    move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
    Three climbers were already in the process of hauling themselves up the rope that I was preparing to descend. Into Thin Air
    Ascend means "to go up," and descend means the opposite.
  9. diminish
    decrease in size, extent, or range
    Philip Lombard's senses seemed heightened, rather than diminished. And Then There Were None
  10. droop
    sink or settle from pressure or loss of tautness
    After a few more hours of navigating, Percy’s eyes started to droop. The Son of Neptune
    If you don't water your houseplants, the leaves will start to fall down, or droop.
  11. dwindle
    become smaller or lose substance
    In time the flames began to dwindle, and then they were gone. A Clash of Kings
    Dwine is an old word meaning "to waste away," from the Old English dwínan. Dwindle is a form of dwine. Its first recorded use is by Shakespeare's Henry IV Part 1 in 1598.
  12. ebb
    fall away or decline
    I felt many of my established beliefs and loyalties begin to ebb away. Long Walk to Freedom
  13. flag
    droop, sink, or settle
    The fire ran ahead at times, and sometimes flagged, as if growing tired like the rest of us. The Poisonwood Bible
    Flag in this sense is similar to droop, slump, and ebb. If your energy flags, you are slowing down.
  14. founder
    break down, literally or metaphorically
    By the end of the year, the campaign foundered. Long Walk to Freedom
  15. lapse
    drop to a lower level, as in one's morals or standards
    She considered it a deplorable lapse on the part of her subjects not to tell her everything and at once. The Golden Compass
    Lapsus means "slip" or "fall" in Latin. In English, a lapse is a temporary drop, often related to someone's behavior. A person can experience a lapse in memory or a lapse in judgment.
  16. plummet
    drop sharply
    The temperature plummeted as the desert fell dark. Strange the Dreamer
    To plummet is to drop straight down, like off a cliff.
  17. plunge
    drop steeply
    The man-trip lurched and we were off, plunging down what seemed an endless black tunnel. October Sky
  18. settle
    sink down or precipitate
    We settled into our camping chairs and planted our feet on the circle of stones. The Season of Styx Malone
    Settle is a gentle word, whether you're describing someone easing into a comfy chair or tea leaves slowly drifting to the bottom of a cup.
  19. sink
    fall or descend to a lower place or level
    The sun was sinking on the horizon when we finally got into Marin County and exited the highway. The Titan's Curse
  20. slump
    fall or sink heavily
    He walked into the living room and slumped into the big arm-chair. The Landry News
Created on Mon Mar 09 14:08:23 EDT 2020 (updated Mon Mar 22 17:33:49 EDT 2021)

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