down

noun

A negative aspect; a downer, a downside.

A downer, depressant.

An act of swallowing an entire drink at once.

(American football) A single play, from the time the ball is snapped (the start) to the time the whistle is blown (the end) when the ball is down, or is downed.

(crosswording) A clue whose solution runs vertically in the grid.

(gambling) The shift or period of time during which a dealer manages a given table before rotating to the next table at a casino or cardroom, which is often 30 minutes.

A downstairs room of a two-story house.

Down payment.

The lightest quark with a charge number of −¹⁄₃.

(especially Southern England, also Australia, often plural, often in place names) A hill; in England, especially a chalk hill.

(usually in the plural) A field, especially one used for horse racing.

(UK, chiefly 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.

Soft, fluffy immature feathers which grow on young birds. Used as insulating material in duvets, sleeping bags and jackets.

(botany) The pubescence of plants; the hairy crown or envelope of the seeds of certain plants, such as 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.

A surname.

One of the six traditional counties of Northern Ireland, usually known as County Down.

(dated) A grudge (on someone).

verb

(transitive) To knock (someone or something) down; to cause to come down; to fell.

(transitive) Specifically, to cause (something in the air) to fall to the ground; to bring down (with a missile etc.).

(transitive) To lower; to put (something) down.

(transitive, figurative) To defeat; to overpower.

(transitive, colloquial) To disparage; to put down.

(transitive, colloquial) To drink or swallow, especially without stopping before the vessel containing the liquid is empty.

(transitive, American football, Canadian football) To render (the ball) dead, typically by touching the ground while in possession.

(transitive, golf, pocket billiards) To sink (a ball) into a hole or pocket.

(transitive) To cover, ornament, line, or stuff with down.

(intransitive, rare or obsolete) To go or come down; to descend.

adjective

Facing downwards.

At a lower level than before.

(informal) Sad, unhappy, depressed, feeling low.

Sick, wounded, or damaged:

(normally in the combination 'down with') Sick or ill.

(not comparable, military, law enforcement, slang, of a person) Wounded and unable to move normally, or killed.

(veterinary medicine, of a cow) Stranded in a recumbent position; unable to stand.

(not comparable, military, aviation, slang, of an aircraft) Mechanically failed, collided, shot down, or otherwise suddenly unable to fly.

(not comparable) Inoperable; out of order; out of service.

(slang) In prison.

Having a lower score than an opponent.

(baseball, cricket, colloquial, following the noun modified) Out.

(colloquial, with "on") Negative about; hostile to.

(Canada, US, slang) Comfortable [with]; accepting [of]; okay [with].

(African-American Vernacular, slang) Accepted, respected, or loyally participating in the (thug) community.

Finished (of a task); defeated or dealt with (of an opponent or obstacle); elapsed (of time). Often coupled with to go (remaining).

Thoroughly practiced, learned or memorised; mastered. (Compare down pat.)

(of a tree, limb, etc) Fallen or felled.

(rail transport, of a train) Travelling in the direction leading away from the principal terminus, away from milepost zero.

(obsolete) Downright; absolute; positive.

adverb

(comparable) From a higher position to a lower one; downwards.

To or towards what is considered the bottom of something, irrespective of whether this is presently physically lower.

(comparable) At a lower or further place or position along a set path.

To the south (as south is at the bottom of typical maps).

Away from the city (regardless of direction).

At or towards any place that is visualised as 'down' by virtue of local features or local convention, or arbitrarily, irrespective of direction or elevation change.

Forward, straight ahead.

(rail transport) In the direction leading away from the principal terminus, away from milepost zero.

To a subordinate or less prestigious position or rank.

(sports) Towards the opponent's side (in ball-sports).

So as to lessen quantity, level or intensity.

So as to reduce size, weight or volume.

From less to greater detail.

From a remoter or higher antiquity.

Into a state of non-operation.

So as to secure or compress something to the floor, ground, or other (usually horizontal) surface.

On paper (or in a durable record).

So as to be cowed into silence.

As a down payment.

(crosswords, in relation to a numbered clued word) In a downwards direction; vertically.

Used with verbs to indicate that the action of the verb was carried to some state of completion, permanence, or success rather than being of indefinite duration.

(sentence substitute, imperative) Get down.

(UK, academia, dated) Away from Oxford or Cambridge.

Synonyms for down

downwardsadv adown lowadj offv fellv belowadv downcastadj fallingadj descendingadj declivitousadj downstairsadj droppingadj downheartedadj depressedadj

Synonyms & related words for down

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of down — including downwards, adown, low, off, fell, below. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to down

Explore words related to down — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include downwardly, up, lowered, downthrow, dropped, plumule, lowers, downland. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for down

Common synonyms for down include downwards, adown, low, off, fell, below, downcast, falling — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.