Down (Noun)
Meaning 1
(American football) a complete play to advance the football; "you have four downs to gain ten yards".
Classification
Nouns denoting acts or actions.
Examples
- The quarterback was tackled on the third down for a significant loss.
- On fourth down, the team decided to punt the ball away.
- The running back sprinted for a first down on the second play of the game.
- With only one down remaining, the offense needed to score quickly.
- It took the team three downs to rush for a first down against the strong defense.
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
Soft fine feathers.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- The pillow was filled with soft down that made it extremely comfortable to rest on.
- The geese had lost some of their down during the molting season, but it was starting to grow back.
- The jacket was insulated with down to keep the wearer warm in cold weather.
- After the pillow fight, the room was covered in a layer of fluffy down.
- The underside of the bird's wings was lined with a thick layer of down to keep it warm and insulated.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 3
English physician who first described Down's syndrome (1828-1896).
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Examples
- John Langdon Down was an English physician who first described Down's syndrome.
- Down was born in Torpoint, England and studied medicine at the University of London.
- The genetic disorder was named after the English physician John Langdon Down.
- Dr John Langdon Down first reported on the condition in 1866.
- An English physician, Down was the superintendent of an asylum for children with learning difficulties.
Synonyms
Meaning 4
Fine soft dense hair (as the fine short hair of cattle or deer or the wool of sheep or the undercoat of certain dogs).
Classification
Nouns denoting body parts.
Examples
- The soft down of the geese was used to make warm pillows and mattresses.
- The down of the sheep was carefully harvested to make warm clothing for the winter.
- The rabbit's down was so soft and fluffy that it felt like silk to the touch.
- The undercoat of the Siberian Husky was made of a thick layer of down that kept it warm in the freezing temperatures.
- The down of the deer was used to make a warm and cozy bed for the baby.
Synonyms
Related Words
Meaning 5
(usually plural) a rolling treeless highland with little soil.
Classification
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made).
Usages
Examples
- The village was situated in the middle of a large down surrounded by heather and gorse.
- Hikers navigated the barren down using compasses and maps.
- Raising sheep was a profitable enterprise on the vast downs in southern England.
- Rabbit hunters spent their days tracking game across the treeless downs of Yorkshire.
- Local conservation efforts helped to restore native wildflowers on the heathery downs near town.