Down (Adverb)
Meaning 1
From an earlier time; "the story was passed down from father to son".
Examples
- The recipe has been passed down through generations of French chefs.
- She handed down the old locket to her daughter on her birthday.
- The company's mission has been brought down from the founder to every new employee.
- Native American tribes often passed down their history via storytelling.
- The heirloom quilt has been handed down from mother to daughter for over a century.
Meaning 2
Spatially or metaphorically from a higher to a lower level or position; "don't fall down"; "rode the lift up and skied down"; "prices plunged downward".
Examples
- The kids ran down the stairs to get to the playground.
- After reaching the top, the hikers carefully made their way down the mountain.
- Riding the roller coaster up was frightening but going down was exhilarating.
- She let go of the balloon and watched it soar up before floating gently down.
- The rock band took the stage and started playing as the crowd cheered them down.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Meaning 3
Away from a more central or a more northerly place; "was sent down to work at the regional office"; "worked down on the farm"; "came down for the wedding"; "flew down to Florida".
Examples
- She had to travel down to the conference for a meeting with her team.
- The employees were sent down to the satellite office to handle local operations.
- Her parents moved down from the city to live in their rural home.
- We flew down to Miami for a week-long vacation.
- They drove down to visit their family for Easter.
Antonyms
Meaning 4
Paid in cash at time of purchase; "put ten dollars down on the necklace".
Examples
- I put twenty dollars down on the iPhone pre-order to secure my place in line.
- She had to put five thousand dollars down on the new car to avoid higher interest rates.
- He paid one thousand dollars down on the deposit for the apartment rental.
- To reserve a spot at the conference, attendees must put fifty dollars down immediately.
- It's a buy one get one free deal but you have to put ten dollars down to secure the second item.
Meaning 5
In an inactive or inoperative state; "the factory went down during the strike"; "the computer went down again".
Examples
- The elevator went down due to a power outage in the building.
- After a virus infected the mainframe the company's server went down for several hours.
- The city's water treatment plant went down following a critical mechanical failure.
- The team's communication went down because of the storm's interference with the radio signals.
- The hospital's life support system went down briefly but the backup generators kicked in quickly.
Meaning 6
To a lower intensity; "he slowly phased down the light until the stage was completely black".
Examples
- She gradually turned down the music to hear her daughter's whisper.
- The engineer carefully wound down the machinery after the day's production.
- The nurse helped her patient to ease down the exertion level by suggesting short breaks.
- The sound engineer expertly toned down the distortion by adjusting the equalizers.
- The pilot had to power down the engines to avoid further overheating of the aircraft.