down

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2015

down¹ /daʊn/ adv.  from higher to lower;
toward or into a lower position or level:

Tell him to come down.

on or to the ground, floor, or the like:

to fall down.

to or in a sitting or lying position:

Sit down next to her.

to an area or district considered lower from a geographical standpoint, esp. southward:

We drove down to San Diego from Los Angeles.

to a lower value, level, or rate:

Slow down.

to a lesser pitch or volume:

Turn down the radio.

in or to a calmer or less active state:

The wind died down.

from an earlier to a later time:

the history of the church from the Middle Ages down to the present.

from a greater to a lesser strength, amount, etc.:

to water down a drink.

earnestly:

to get down to work.

on paper:

Write this down.

in cash at the time of purchase:

$50 down and $20 a month thereafter.

to the point of defeat or submission:

shouted down the opposition.

to the source or actual position:

to track someone down.

into a condition of ill health:

He came down with the flu.

in or into a lower status or condition:

He was kept down by lack of education.

prep.  in a descending direction on or along; in a place moved farther away than:

They ran off down the street.

adj.  [before a noun] directed downward;
going down:

Take the down escalator on the left.

[be/seem + ~] sad; gloomy;
depressed:

You seem pretty down today.

[be + ~] sick and in bed:

He's down with a bad cold.

Sport [be + ~] behind an opponent or opponents in points:

We're down by twenty points.

[be + ~] having lost the amount indicated, esp. at gambling:

After that last race I'm only down $10.

finished or taken care of:

Five down and one to go.

[be + ~] out of order:

The computer is down again.

[Slang.]

admired:
a down dude.

n. [countable] a turn for the worse; reverse:

It was another down for the company already in debt.

Sport [countable] [Football.] one of a series of four plays during which a team must advance the ball at least 10 yd. (9 m) to keep possession of it:

On that last series of downs the team moved the ball well.

v. [~ + object] to knock, throw, or bring down:

He downed his opponent with a quick right to the jaw.

to drink down, esp. quickly:

I downed the vodka in one gulp.

Informal Terms to defeat in a game or contest:

The Rangers downed the Flyers 2-0 last night.

interj.  (used as a command or warning) get down:

Down in front, please (= Please sit down in front, so people behind you can see).

idiom

Idioms down cold or pat, learned perfectly:
He always has his facts down cold before he argues with anyone.
Idioms down in the mouth, discouraged; sad;
depressed:
He looks down in the mouth today.
down on, [~ + object] hostile to:
Most of the party's regular members are down on his candidacy.
Idioms down with, [~ + object] (used in a command or a wish, without a subject) to remove from power or do away with:
Down with the king!

down² /daʊn/ n. [uncountable] Clothing the short, soft feathers of some birds, used for filling in clothing for warmth. Botany fine, soft, short hair, such as on plants.
adj. [before a noun] Clothing filled with down:

a down jacket.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

down /daʊn/ prep

1. used to indicate movement from a higher to a lower position: they went down the mountain
2. at a lower or further level or position on, in, or along: he ran down the street

adv

1. downwards; at or to a lower level or position: don't fall down
2. (particle) used with many verbs when the result of the verb's action is to lower or destroy its object: pull down, knock down, bring down
3. (particle) used with several verbs to indicate intensity or completion: calm down
4. immediately: cash down
5. on paper: write this down
6. arranged; scheduled: the meeting is down for next week
7. in a helpless position: they had him down on the ground
8. away from a more important place: down from London
9. away from a more northerly place: down from Scotland
10. (of a member of some British universities) away from the university; on vacation
11. in a particular part of a country: down south
12. (of a helm) having the rudder to windward
13. reduced to a state of lack or want: down to the last pound
14. lacking a specified amount: at the end of the day the cashier was ten pounds down
15. lower in price: bacon is down
16. including all intermediate terms, grades, people, etc: from managing director down to tea-lady
17. from an earlier to a later time: the heirloom was handed down
18. to a finer or more concentrated state: to grind down, boil down
19. being a specified number of points, goals, etc behind another competitor, team, etc: six goals down
20. (of a person) being inactive, owing to illness: down with flu
21. (functioning as imperative) (to dogs): down Rover!
22. down with ⇒ (functioning as imperative) wanting the end of somebody or something: down with the king!
23. get down on something ⇒ Austral NZ to procure something, esp in advance of needs or in anticipation of someone else

adj

1. (postpositive) depressed or miserable
2. (prenominal) of or relating to a train or trains from a more important place or one regarded as higher: the down line
3. (postpositive) (of a device, machine, etc, esp a computer) temporarily out of action
4. made in cash: a down payment
5. down to ⇒ the responsibility or fault of: this defeat was down to me

vb

1. (transitive) to knock, push or pull down
2. (transitive) informal to drink, esp quickly: he downed three gins
3. (transitive) to bring (someone) down, esp by tackling

n

1. one of a maximum of four consecutive attempts by one team to advance the ball a total of at least ten yards
2. a descent; downward movement
3. a lowering or a poor period (esp in the phrase ups and downs)
4. have a down on ⇒ informal to bear ill will towards (someone or something)

Etymology: Old English dūne, short for adūne, variant of of dūne, literally: from the hill, from of, off + dūn hill; see down³

down /daʊn/ n

1. the soft fine feathers with free barbs that cover the body of a bird and prevent loss of heat. In the adult they lie beneath and between the contour feathers
2. another name for eiderdown
3. a fine coating of soft hairs, as on certain leaves, fruits, and seeds
4. any growth or coating of soft fine hair, such as that on the human face

Etymology: 14th Century: of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse dūnn

down /daʊn/ n

1. archaic a hill, esp a sand dune
   See also downs

Etymology: Old English dūn; related to Old Frisian dūne, Old Saxon dūna hill, Old Irish dūn fortress, Greek this sandbank; see dune, town

Down /daʊn/ n

1. a district of SE Northern Ireland, in Co Down. Pop: 65 195 (2003 est). Area: 649 sq km (250 sq miles)
2. a historical county of SE Northern Ireland, on the Irish Sea: generally hilly, rising to the Mountains of Mourne: in 1973 it was replaced for administrative purposes by the districts of Ards, Banbridge, Castlereagh, Down, Newry and Mourne, North Down, and part of Lisburn. Area: 2466 sq km (952 sq miles)