down

down

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of down in English

English Online Dictionary. What means down‎? What does down mean?

English

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /daʊn/
  • (Canada, dialectal) IPA(key): /dʌʊn/, [dəu̯n]
  • Rhymes: -aʊn

Etymology 1

From Middle English doun, doune, from Old English dūne (“down”), aphetic form of adūne (“down, downward”), from earlier ofdūne (“down”, literally “off the hill”), from of (“of, off of”) + dūn (“hill, mount, dune, down”). More at Etymology 2 below. For the development from directional phrases to prepositions, compare Middle Low German dāle (“down, downwards”, literally “(in/to the) dale/valley”), whence German Low German dal (“down”). Compare also Saterland Frisian deel (“down”, literally “to/into the dale”).

Adverb

down (not generally comparable, comparative farther down, superlative farthest down)

  1. (comparable) From a higher position to a lower one; downwards.
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:down.
  2. To or towards what is considered the bottom of something, irrespective of whether this is presently physically lower.
  3. (comparable) At a lower or further place or position along a set path.
  4. To the south (as south is at the bottom of typical maps).
  5. Away from the city (regardless of direction).
    • 1722, Daniel Defoe, A Journal of the Plague Year, London: E. Nutt et al., p. 12,[1]
      But then my Servant who I had intended to take down with me [i.e. from London to Bedfordshire], deceiv’d me;
  6. 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.
    Coordinate term: over
  7. Forward, straight ahead.
  8. (rail transport) In the direction leading away from the principal terminus, away from milepost zero.
  9. (UK, academia, dated) Away from Oxford or Cambridge.
  10. To a subordinate or less prestigious position or rank.
  11. (sports) Towards the opponent's side (in ball-sports).
  12. So as to lessen quantity, level or intensity.
  13. So as to reduce size, weight or volume.
  14. From less to greater detail.
  15. From a remoter or higher antiquity.
  16. Into a state of non-operation.
  17. So as to secure or compress something to the floor, ground, or other (usually horizontal) surface.
  18. On paper (or in a durable record).
  19. As a down payment.
  20. (crosswords, in relation to a numbered clued word) In a downwards direction; vertically.
  21. 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.
  22. (sentence substitute, imperative) Get down.
Usage notes
  • Down can be used with verbs in ways that change the meaning of the verb in ways not entirely predictable from the meanings of the down and the verb, though related to them. See Category:English phrasal verbs formed with "down".
Antonyms
  • (antonym(s) of “from a higher position to a lower one”): up
  • (antonym(s) of “at a lower place”): up
  • (antonym(s) of “away from the city”): up
  • (antonym(s) of “into a state of non-operation”): up
  • (antonym(s) of “rail transport: direction leading away from the principal terminus”): up
  • (antonym(s) of “in crosswords”): across
  • (antonym(s) of “forward, straight ahead”): back; backwards; rearwards
Translations

Preposition

down

  1. From the higher end to the lower of.
  2. From north to south of.
  3. Towards the mouth of (a river); in the direction of flow of.
  4. From one end to another of (in any direction); along.
  5. (colloquial) At (a given place that is seen as removed from one's present location or other point of reference).
Antonyms
  • (antonym(s) of “From the higher end to the lower”): up
Derived terms
  • (from the higher end to the lower): like kicking dead whales down the beach, sell down the river, throw one's hotdog down someone's hallway
Translations

Adjective

down (comparative more down, superlative most down) (chiefly predicative, but see usage notes)

  1. Facing downwards.
  2. At a lower level than before.
    Antonym: up
  3. (informal) Sad, unhappy, depressed, feeling low.
    Synonyms: miserable, sorrowful; see also Thesaurus:sad
    Antonym: up
  4. Sick, wounded, or damaged:
    1. (normally in the combination 'down with') Sick or ill.
    2. (not comparable, military, law enforcement, slang, of a person) Wounded and unable to move normally, or killed.
    3. (veterinary medicine, of a cow) Stranded in a recumbent position; unable to stand.
      Synonym: (of "down cow") downer
      a down cow
    4. (not comparable, military, aviation, slang, of an aircraft) Mechanically failed, collided, shot down, or otherwise suddenly unable to fly.
    5. (not comparable) Inoperable; out of order; out of service.
      Antonym: up
  5. (slang) In prison.
  6. Having a lower score than an opponent.
    Antonym: up
  7. (baseball, cricket, colloquial, following the noun modified) Out.
  9. (colloquial, with "on") Negative about; hostile to.
  11. (Canada, US, slang) Comfortable [with]; accepting [of]; okay [with].
  12. (African-American Vernacular, slang) Accepted, respected, or loyally participating in the (thug) community.
  13. Finished (of a task); defeated or dealt with (of an opponent or obstacle); elapsed (of time). Often coupled with to go (remaining).
  14. Thoroughly practiced, learned or memorised; mastered. (Compare down pat.)
  15. (obsolete) Downright; absolute; positive.
  16. (of a tree, limb, etc) Fallen or felled.
    • 1935 (printed in 2009), Powell, Shenandoah Letters, 54:
      Will you please let me get two loads of down wood.
  17. (rail transport, of a train) Travelling in the direction leading away from the principal terminus, away from milepost zero.
    Antonym: up
Usage notes

In many senses, using this adjective in an attributive position (before the noun) is avoided in everyday Standard English:

Compare a synonym, faulty, which can be used either predicatively or attributively:

(both acceptable)

In certain specialised uses (such as the veterinary medicine, timber and rail transport senses), there is no avoidance of the attributive placement, which is used freely.

Derived terms
  • down bad
  • down but not out
  • downtime
Translations

Verb

down (third-person singular simple present downs, present participle downing, simple past and past participle downed)

  1. (transitive) To knock (someone or something) down; to cause to come down; to fell. [from 16th c.]
    1. (transitive) Specifically, to cause (something in the air) to fall to the ground; to bring down (with a missile etc.). [from 19th c.]
  2. (transitive) To lower; to put (something) down. [from 16th c.]
  3. (transitive, figurative) To defeat; to overpower. [from 17th. c.]
  4. (transitive, colloquial) To disparage; to put down. [from 18th c.]
  5. (intransitive, rare or obsolete) To go or come down; to descend. [from 17th. c.]
  6. (transitive, colloquial) To drink or swallow, especially without stopping before the vessel containing the liquid is empty. [from 19th c.]
  7. (transitive, American football, Canadian football) To render (the ball) dead, typically by touching the ground while in possession. [from 19th c.]
  8. (transitive, golf, pocket billiards) To sink (a ball) into a hole or pocket. [from 20th c.]
Synonyms
  • (drink): See also Thesaurus:drink
Derived terms
  • double down
  • down tools
  • triple down
Translations

Noun

down (plural downs)

  1. A negative aspect; a downer, a downside.
  2. (dated) A grudge (on someone).
  3. A downer, depressant.
  4. An act of swallowing an entire drink at once.
  5. (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.
  6. (crosswording) A clue whose solution runs vertically in the grid.
  7. A downstairs room of a two-story house.
  8. Down payment.
  9. The lightest quark with a charge number of −1⁄3.
Derived terms
Translations

References

  • Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Spatial particles of orientation", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition, Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8

Etymology 2

From Middle English doune, from Old English dūn, from Proto-West Germanic *dūn (“sandhill, dune”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Proto-Germanic *dūnaz, *dūnǭ (“pile, heap”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“smoke, haze, dust”).

Alternatively, perhaps borrowed from Proto-Celtic *dūnom (“hill; hillfort”) (compare Welsh din (“hill”), Irish dún (“hill, fort”)), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“to finish, come full circle”).

Cognate with West Frisian dún (“dune, sandhill”), Dutch duin (“dune, sandhill”), German Düne (“dune”). More at town; akin to dune. Doublet of Down.

Noun

down (countable and uncountable, plural downs)

  1. (especially Southern England, also Australia, often plural, often in place names) A hill; in England, especially a chalk hill.
  2. (usually in the plural) A field, especially one used for horse racing.
  3. (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.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English doun, from Old Norse dúnn, from Proto-Germanic *dūnaz (“down”), which is related to *dauniz (“(pleasant) smell”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰowh₂-nis, from the root *dʰewh₂-.

Cognate with Saterland Frisian Duune (“fluff, down”), German Daune (“down”) and Danish dun (“down”).

Noun

down (countable and uncountable, plural downs)

  2. Soft, fluffy immature feathers which grow on young birds. Used as insulating material in duvets, sleeping bags and jackets.
  4. (botany) The pubescence of plants; the hairy crown or envelope of the seeds of certain plants, such as the thistle.
  5. The soft hair of the face when beginning to appear.
  6. That which is made of down, as a bed or pillow; that which affords ease and repose, like a bed of down.
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

down (third-person singular simple present downs, present participle downing, simple past and past participle downed)

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

Further reading

  • Kroonen, Guus (2013) “dauna-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎[9], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 90
  • “down”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

  • nowd

Chinese

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From English down (“sad; depressed”).

Adjective

down

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) sad; depressed

Verb

down

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) to be sad; to be depressed

Etymology 2

From English down (“inoperable; out of service”, adjective).

Verb

down

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, chiefly computing) to be out of service
Related terms
  • 當機 / 当机 (dàngjī)

Etymology 3

From clipping of English download.

Verb

down

  1. (informal) to download

For quotations using this term, see Citations:down.

Synonyms
  • 下載／下载 (xiàzài)

See also

  • download

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English down.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /dɑu̯n/
  • Hyphenation: down

Adjective

down (used only predicatively, comparative meer down, superlative meest down)

  1. down, depressed

Synonyms

  • depressief, depri

Anagrams

  • wond

German

Etymology

From English down.

Pronunciation

Adjective

down (strong nominative masculine singular downer, not comparable)

  1. (colloquial) down, depressed
  2. (Internet, of websites and servers) down, not online
  3. (video games) down, defeated, without health left

Further reading

  • “down” in Duden online
  • “down” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Polish

Etymology

Named after British physician John Langdon Down.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈdawn/
  • Rhymes: -awn
  • Syllabification: down

Noun

down m inan

  1. (informal, neurology) Down syndrome (genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21 (a chromosomal excess), whereby the patients typically have a delay in cognitive ability and physical growth, as well as a small head and tilted eyelids)
    Synonyms: mongolizm, mongołowatość, zespół Downa

Declension

Noun

down m pers

  1. (colloquial, derogatory) Downie (person with Down syndrome)
  2. (colloquial, derogatory) dip, dumbhead, dumb cluck, dummkopf, hammerhead, ignorant (stupid person)
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:głupiec

Declension

Further reading

  • down in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • down in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Welsh

Alternative forms

  • dawn (colloquial first-person plural future)
  • delwn, deswn, dethwn (colloquial first-person singular conditional)
  • deuwn (literary; all forms)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /dou̯n/
  • Rhymes: -ou̯n

Verb

down

  1. inflection of dod:
    1. first-person plural present/future
    2. first-person singular imperfect/conditional
    3. (literary) first-person plural imperative

Mutation

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Related Words

downtown

downloads

downloading

downloaded

downloadable

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This article based on an article on Wiktionary. The list of authors can be seen in the page history there. The original work has been modified. This article is distributed under the terms of this license.