From Middle English doun, doune (“down”), 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 Old Frisian dene (“down”, adverb, literally “(to the) floor”), 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”), West Frisian del (“down”). Cognate with Scots doon (“down”).
Usually From a higher position to a lower one; downwards.
The cat jumped down from the table.
She was so mad she wouldn't speak to me for quite a spell, but at last I coaxed her into going up to Miss Emmeline's room and fetching down a tintype of the missing Deacon man.1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VI, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
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To her humiliation Jessamy found there were tears trickling down her cheeks.1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, year_published edition, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, →ISBN, page 48:
Through the open front door ran Jessamy, down the steps to where Kitto was sitting at the bottom with the pram beside him.1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, published 1993, →ISBN, page 122:
2
Usually To or towards what is considered the bottom of something, irrespective of whether this is presently physically lower.
Go down to the bottom of the page.
As I lay on my back, a pain shot down from my neck to my waist.
3
Usually At a lower or further place or position along a set path.
His place is farther down the road.
The company was well down the path to bankruptcy.
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It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. He wore shepherd's plaid trousers and the swallow-tail coat of the day, with a figured muslin cravat wound about his wide-spread collar.1906, Stanley J[ohn] Weyman, chapter I, in Chippinge Borough, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., →OCLC, page 01:
4
Usually To the south (as south is at the bottom of typical maps).
I went down to Miami for a conference.
5
Usually Away from the city (regardless of direction).
He went down to Cavan.
down on the farm
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down to the country
1722, Daniel Defoe, A Journal of the Plague Year, London: E. Nutt et al., p. 12, But then my Servant who I had intended to take down with me [i.e. from London to Bedfordshire], deceiv’d me;
6
Usually 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.
She lives down by the park.
7
Usually Forward, straight ahead.
At the first intersection turn left and walk down, then turn right.
8
Rail transport, Railways, TransportUsually In the direction leading away from the principal terminus, away from milepost zero.
9
Academia, Scholarly, SciencesUK, Dated, Usually Away from Oxford or Cambridge.
He's gone back down to Newcastle for Christmas.
10
Usually To a subordinate or less prestigious position or rank.
Smith was sent down to the minors to work on his batting.
After the incident, Kelly went down to Second Lieutenant.
11
Hobbies, Lifestyle, SportsUsually Towards the opponent's side (in ball-sports).
The charity match, played Sunday afternoon at Cirencester Park Polo Club in Gloucestershire, reached a dramatic climax when Prince Harry tore down the pitch but failed to score what was described as an “open goal”.2015 May 25, “Frustrated Prince Harry howls as he misses open goal”, in Daily Telegraph:
By moving further down the pitch, the batsman lengthens the distance between the ball and the stumps.2005 September 23, “LBW explained”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name):
12
Usually So as to lessen quantity, level or intensity.
You need to tone down the rhetoric.
Please turn the music down!
13
Usually So as to reduce size, weight or volume.
Trim the stick down to a length of about twelve inches.
Thanks to my strict diet, I've slimmed down to eleven stone.
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Boil the mixture down to a syrupy consistency.
ſtew it gently till quite tender, then take it up and boil down the gravy in the pan to a quart1788, Mary Cole (cook), The Lady's Complete Guide; or, Cookery in all its Branches, London: G. Kearsley, →OCLC, page 92:
At that point I perhaps should have gone back through the interview and changed what I said — slightly re-worded it to better reflect my feelings about the two resolutions. But I did not think to do that. I was caught up in the crunch of trying to get it all ready for publication, and edit it down, not add more explanations to it.1981 August 29, Nancy Wechsler, “Pornography and the Lawyers Guild”, in Gay Community News, volume 9, number 7, page 4:
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Usually From less to greater detail.
This spreadsheet lets you drill down to daily or even hourly sales figures.
Economics is a messy discipline: too fluid to be a science, too rigorous to be an art. Perhaps it is fitting that economists’ most-used metric, gross domestic product (GDP), is a tangle too. GDP measures the total value of output in an economic territory. Its apparent simplicity explains why it is scrutinised down to tenths of a percentage point every month.2013 August 3, “Boundary problems”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:
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Usually From a remoter or higher antiquity.
These traditions have been handed down over generations.
Venerable men! you have come down to us from a former generation.1825 June 17, Daniel Webster, An address delivered at the laying of the corner stone of the Bunker Hill monument, Boston: Cummings, Hilliard, and Co., →OCLC, page 12:
16
Usually Into a state of non-operation.
The computer has been shut down.
They closed the shop down.
17
Usually So as to secure or compress something to the floor, ground, or other (usually horizontal) surface.
We need to nail down this carpet so people don't keep tripping over it.
18
Usually On paper (or in a durable record).
You need to write down what happened while it's still fresh in your mind.
19
Usually So as to be cowed into silence.
The speaker was heckled and shouted down.
The comedy club's audience was known for hooting down timid performers.
20
Usually As a down payment.
We put £100 down on a new sofa.
You can have it, no money down.
21
Usually In a downwards direction; vertically.
In relation to a numbered clued word
I'm stuck on 11 down.
22
Usually 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.
He closed operations. / He closed down operations.
He chased answers. / He chased down answers.
23
Imperative, Usually Get down.
Sentence substitute
Down, boy! (such as to direct a dog to stand on four legs from two, or to sit from standing on four legs.)
From Middle English doun, doune (“down”), 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 Old Frisian dene (“down”, adverb, literally “(to the) floor”), 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”), West Frisian del (“down”). Cognate with Scots doon (“down”).
1
From the higher end to the lower of.
The ball rolled down the hill.
We expressed our readiness, and in ten minutes were in the station wagon, rolling rapidly down the long drive, for it was then after nine. We passed on the way the van of the guests from Asquith.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
2
From north to south of.
We sailed down the eastern seaboard.
3
Towards the mouth of (a river); in the direction of flow of.
In this game we float sticks down the river.
4
From one end to another of (in any direction); along.
The bus went down the street.
They walked down the beach holding hands.
5
Ireland, UK At (a given place that is seen as removed from one's present location or other point of reference).
I'll see you later down the pub.
6
Ireland, UK To (a given place that is seen as removed from one's present location or other point of reference).
From Middle English doun, doune (“down”), 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 Old Frisian dene (“down”, adverb, literally “(to the) floor”), 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”), West Frisian del (“down”). Cognate with Scots doon (“down”).
Turn the cloth over so that the patterned side is down.
You win a dollar if the down side of the card is different to the up side; otherwise, you lose a dollar.1993, Finite Mathematics: Overrun Edition, Calvert, page 251:
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Define the event F as the event that the down face of the die is 1 or 4.2004, Robert M. Gray, Lee D. Davisson, An Introduction to Statistical Signal Processing, page 170:
Each time the 10 cards are reshuffled, your task is to predict the letter on the down side of the top card.2016, Keith E. Stanovich, Richard F. West, Maggie E. Toplak, The Rationality Quotient: Toward a Test of Rational Thinking, page 332:
Mary seems very down since she split up with her boyfriend.
Been down so long it seems like up to me
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We get down, down, down / We feel sorry for ourselves / We get down, down, down / We all need somebody's help2011, Rachel Platten, “Overwhelmed”, in Be Here:
You say you opened up a bicycle wash and the first six customers drowned [...] Is that what’s got you down, pussy cat?2014 March 30, William Yardley, quoting Eddie Lawrence, “Eddie Lawrence Dies at 95; Comedy's ‘Old Philosopher’”, in New York Times, Arts:
I'm a TS who has been down for over 5 years and will be going up for parole in the next 1 to 3 years.1988 February 7, Crystal Dawn Boyd, “Let's Start Caring About Ourselves”, in Gay Community News, volume 15, number 29, page 5:
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Having a lower score than an opponent.
They are down by 3–0 with just 5 minutes to play.
He was down by a bishop and a pawn after 15 moves.
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At 5–1 down, she produced a great comeback to win the set on a tiebreak.
She's been down on clams since a bad case of food poisoning; she's lost her appetite for them.
The prisoners here are down on gays (they bring the outside in here with them when they come in). I sometimes think they hate us because they fear to be us.1983 August 13, Dennis Stinson, “Personal advertisement”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 5, page 22:
He's chill enough; he'd probably be totally down with it.
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Asker: Are you down to hang out at the mall? / Answerer: Yeah, as long as you're down with helping me pick a phone.
Asker: You down? Yes or no? / Answerer: You know I'm down for whatever.
Then again, with your name being Juanita Perez, I wasn't sure if you were more down with the Latinos or something.2001, Omar Tyree, For the Love of Money, page 121:
He said Lunceford's band was smoother and had more musical variety and great show-band novelties, but that there was something about the way we did our things that made us sound more down with it.2002, Count Basie, Albert Murray, Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography Of Count Basie, page 194:
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Slang Accepted, respected, or loyally participating in the (thug) community.
African-American Vernacular
What you mean, 'No'? Man, I thought you was down.
my homies is down so don't arouse my anger1994, “Gangsta's Paradise”, Coolio (lyrics):
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Nigga you ain't down. You heard what Nate said. If you ain't down for the dead homie you sure ain't down for us.1995, Colors - Volume 4, page 28:
Cause you're a whiteboy, you know, an' if you get locked up you gotta be down for the Aryans and the Surenos, you know? You gotta be down.2009, Mike Flax, L.A. Unified, page 129:
15
Finished (of a task); defeated or dealt with (of an opponent or obstacle); elapsed (of time). Often coupled with to go (remaining).
Two down and three to go.
Ten minutes down and nothing's happened yet.
16
Thoroughly practiced, learned or memorised; mastered. (Compare down pat.)
It's two weeks until opening night and our lines are still not down yet.
I stay with Chloe the longest. When she's not hanging out at the beach parties, she lives in a Japanese garden complete with an arched bridge spanning a pond filled with koi of varying sizes and shapes. Reeds shoot out of the water, rustling when the fish swim through them, and river-washed stones are sprinkled in a bed of sand. Chloe has this whole new Japanese thing down.2013, P.J. Hoover, Solstice, →ISBN, page 355:
This, he muſt give me leave to tell him, is an abſolute, right down—falſehood.1764, Jonathan Mayhew, A Defence of the Observations on the Charter and Conduct of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, London: W. Nicoll, →OCLC, page 84:
18
Of a tree Fallen or felled.
Limb; etc; limb; etc
Left again at 1.05 p.m., and for two miles it was over rolling county with easy grades, but a good deal of down timber.1897, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Report of the Commissioner ..., page 72:
The mere fact that there are quantities of trees near by with "loads” of down wood, does not signify that it is desirable camp fuel.1920, Boys and Girls Bookshelf: A Practical Plan of Character Building ..., page 309:
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Will you please let me get two loads of down wood.1935 (printed in 2009), Powell, Shenandoah Letters, 54
The average weight of down logs in seven old-growth stands, from 250 to over 900 years old, was 53 tons per acre (118 tonnes/ha); the range was 38 to 70 tons per acre (85 to 156 tonnes/ha). The largest accumulation of down wood recorded for a stand thus far is in the Carbon River Valley […]1981, Ecological Characteristics of Old-growth Douglas-fir Forests, page 31:
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Rail transport, Railways, TransportOf a train Travelling in the direction leading away from the principal terminus, away from milepost zero.
From Middle English doun, doune (“down”), 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 Old Frisian dene (“down”, adverb, literally “(to the) floor”), 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”), West Frisian del (“down”). Cognate with Scots doon (“down”).
To down proud hearts that would not willing die.1725, Philip Sidney, The works of the Honourable Sir Philip Sidney, kt., in prose and verse, London: W. Innys, →OCLC, page 156:
‘I remember how you downed Beauclerk and Hamilton, the Wits, once at our House, – when they talked of Ghosts.’1779, Frances Burney, Journals & Letters, Penguin, published 2001, page 141:
Now you have a social worker who downs women who are gay! […] I have met a woman and fell in love with her and I still get humiliated and discriminated against because he (social worker) is against homosexuality and is causing a lot of confusion here.1986 April 12, anonymous author, “One Day I'll Write a Book on This”, in Gay Community News, page 3:
...that is, that the trade of the world is too little for us two, therefore one must down.1933, Arthur Bryant, quoting Samuel Pepys (1664, February 2nd), Samuel Pepys: The Man in the Making, New York: Macmillan, →OCLC, page 215:
7
Colloquial To drink or swallow, especially without stopping before the vessel containing the liquid is empty.
He downed an ale and ordered another.
After watching people downing drink on the train, I am in need of slaking my own thirst, so I pop into the station's Centurion Bar.2022 November 30, Paul Bigland, “Destination Oban: a Sunday in Scotland”, in RAIL, number 971, page 75:
From Middle English doun, doune (“down”), 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 Old Frisian dene (“down”, adverb, literally “(to the) floor”), 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”), West Frisian del (“down”). Cognate with Scots doon (“down”).
She had a down on me. I don't know what for, I'm sure; because I never said a word.1974, GB Edwards, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, New York, published 2007, page 10:
3
A downer, depressant.
I am on drugs that I don't need to be on. They feel if I'm on a lot of downs, then I won't complain about my prison life1984 December 29, Gena Spero, “Innocent Lesbian In Prison”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 25, page 4:
4
An act of swallowing an entire drink at once.
5
American football, Ball games, Football, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports 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.
I bet after the third down, the kicker will replace the quarterback on the field.
6
A clue whose solution runs vertically in the grid.
I haven't solved 12 or 13 across, but I've got most of the downs.
7
Gambling, Games 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.
Etymology 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 (“city, fort, stronghold”), 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.
1
Australia, Southern England, Also, Especially, Often A hill; in England, especially a chalk hill.
Often in place names
We went for a walk over the downs.
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England.
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And with each end of thy blue bow dost crown My bosky acres and my unshrubb'd down1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
...as they muſt needs acknowledge who have been on the Downs of Suſſex, and enjoyed that ravishing Proſpect of the Sea on one Hand, and the Country far and wide on the other.1691, John Ray, The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of the Creation, London: Pr. for S. Smith, →OCLC:
She went by dale, and she went by down, With a single rose in her hair.1842, Alfred Tennyson, “Lady Clare”, in Poems, London: Edward Moxon, →OCLC, page 198:
The amateur nature-lover proceeds over the down, appreciating all this as hard as he can appreciate, and anon gazing up at the grey and white cloud shapes melting slowly from this form to that, and showing lakes, and wide expanses, and serene distances of blue between their gaps.1898, H. G. Wells, Certain Personal Matters: A Collection of Material, Mainly Autobiographical, Lawrence & Bullen, →OCLC, page 256:
2
Plural normally A field, especially one used for horse racing.
3
UK, In 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.
Seven thousand broad-taild Sheepe gras'd on his Downes;1636, George Sandys, “A Paraphrase Vpon Iob”, in Early English Books:
Etymology 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”).
1
To cover, ornament, line, or stuff with down.
What pain to quit the world, just made their own, Their nest so deeply downed, and built so high !1742, Edward Young, The Complaint: or, Night-thoughts on Life, Death, & Immortality, London: R. Dodsley, →OCLC, page 264:
down
noun
Etymology 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”).
1
Soft, fluffy immature feathers which grow on young birds. Used as insulating material in duvets, sleeping bags and jackets.
2
Biology, Botany, Natural sciences The pubescence of plants; the hairy crown or envelope of the seeds of certain plants, such as the thistle.
Down or Cotton-Thiſtle. This hath many large Leaves lying on the Ground, ſomewhat cut in, and as it were crumpled on the Edges, of a green Colour on the upper ſide, but covered with long hairy Wool or Cottony Down, ſet with moſt ſharp and cruel pricks1718, Nicholas Culpeper, The English Physician Enlarged, London: W. Churchill, →OCLC, page 120:
No candle should light it, neither should any flower adorn it, save for several dried stalks of old and withered thistles, their heads pale with silken down, held in a common glass jar.1998, Valerie Worth, The Crone's Book of Charms and Spells, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, →ISBN, page 152:
3
The soft hair of the face when beginning to appear.
But love him as he was, when youthful Grace, And the firſt Down began to ſhade his face1717, John Dryden, The Dramatick Works of John Dryden, Esq., volume the fourth, London: Jacob Tonson, →OCLC, page 136:
The servant to whom he put this question was a young fellow with chubby cheeks, small, dull eyes, and a round chin, covered with a colorless down.1867, Ivan Sergheïevitch Turgenef [i.e., Ivan Turgenev], chapter I, in Eugene Schuyler, transl., Fathers and Sons […], New York, N.Y.: Leypoldt and Holt, →OCLC, page 1:
4
That which is made of down, as a bed or pillow; that which affords ease and repose, like a bed of down.
Thou boſom Softneſs! Down of all my Cares! I cou'd recline my thoughts upon this Breaſt To a forgetfulneſs of all my Griefs, And yet be happy: but it wonnot be.1696, Tho[mas] Southerne, Oroonoko: A Tragedy […], London: […] H[enry] Playford […]; B[enjamin] Tooke […]; [a]nd S. Buckley […], →OCLC, act V, scene the last [iv], pages 76–77:
When in the down I sink my head, Sleep, Death's twin brother, times my breath.1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “(please specify |part=Prologue or Epilogue, or |canto=I to CXXIX)”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC: