- 1For the special uses of down in phrasal verbs, look at the entries for the verbs. For example, climb down is in the phrasal verb section at climb. to or at a lower place or position She jumped down off the chair. He looked down at her. We watched as the sun went down. She bent down to pick up her glove. Mary's not down yet (= she is still upstairs). The baby can't keep any food down (= in her body).
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- 2from a standing or vertical position to a sitting or horizontal one Please sit down. He had to go and lie down for a while.
- 3at a lower level or rate Prices have gone down recently. We're already two goals down (= the other team has two goals more). Language Bankfalldescribing a decrease
- Car crime in Greenville fell significantly last year.
- Car crime fell by about a quarter over a 12-month period.
- The number of stolen vehicles dropped from 1,013 to 780, a fall of 26 percent.
- According to these data, 780 vehicles were stolen, down 26% from the previous year.
- The city saw an 11%drop in reported thefts from motor vehicles from 1,871 to 1,737.
- These figures show that, as far as car crime is concerned, the main trend is downward.
- 4used to show that the amount or strength of something is lower, or that there is less activity Turn the music down! The class settled down and she began the lesson.
- 5(in a crossword) reading from top to bottom, not from side to side I can't do 3 down.
- 6to or in the south of a country They flew down to Texas. Houses are less expensive down south.
- 7on paper; on a list Did you get that down? I always write everything down. Do you have me down for the trip?
- 8used to show the limits in a range or an order Everyone will be there, from the Principal down.
- 9having lost the amount of money mentioned At the end of the day we were $20 down.
- 10if you pay an amount of money down, you pay that to start with, and the rest later
- 11(informal) used to say how far you have gotten in a list of things you have to do Well, I've seen six apartments so far. That's six down and four to go!
- 12(informal) to or at a local place such as a store I'm just going down to the post office. I saw him down at the mall. Idioms
to be the responsibility of someone It's down to you to check the door.
to be caused by a particular person or thing She claimed her problems were down to the media.
to have only a little money left I'm down to my last dollar.
to have or catch an illness
during a long period of time Down through the years this town has seen many changes.
including every small part or detail of something She organized everything down to the last detail.
to or in Australia and/or New Zealand
used to say that you are opposed to something, or to a person The crowds chanted “Down with NATO!”
a person who is determined or wants something very much will succeed
Check pronunciation: down