[doun] Pronunciation Key | 1. | from higher to lower; in descending direction or order; toward, into, or in a lower position: to come down the ladder. |
| 2. | on or to the ground, floor, or bottom: He fell down. |
| 3. | to or in a sitting or lying position. |
| 4. | to or in a position, area, or district considered lower, esp. from a geographical or cartographic standpoint, as to the south, a business district, etc.: We drove from San Francisco down to Los Angeles. |
| 5. | to or at a lower value or rate. |
| 6. | to a lesser pitch or volume: Turn down the radio. |
| 7. | in or to a calmer, less active, or less prominent state: The wind died down. |
| 8. | from an earlier to a later time: from the 17th century down to the present. |
| 9. | from a greater to a lesser strength, amount, etc.: to water down liquor. |
| 10. | in an attitude of earnest application: to get down to work. |
| 11. | on paper or in a book: Write down the address. |
| 12. | in cash at the time of purchase; at once: We paid $50 down and $20 a month. |
| 13. | to the point of defeat, submission, inactivity, etc.: They shouted down the opposition. |
| 14. | in or into a fixed or supine position: They tied down the struggling animal. |
| 15. | to the source or actual position: The dogs tracked down the bear. |
| 16. | into a condition of ill health: He's come down with a cold. |
| 17. | in or into a lower status or condition: kept down by lack of education. |
| 18. | Nautical. toward the lee side, so as to turn a vessel to windward: Put the helm down! |
| 19. | Slang. on toast (as used in ordering a sandwich at a lunch counter or restaurant): Give me a tuna down. |
| 20. | in a descending or more remote direction or place on, over, or along: They ran off down the street. |
| 21. | downward; going or directed downward: the down escalator. |
| 22. | being at a low position or on the ground, floor, or bottom. |
| 23. | toward the south, a business district, etc. |
| 24. | associated with or serving traffic, transportation, or the like, directed toward the south, a business district, etc.: the down platform. |
| 25. | downcast; depressed; dejected: You seem very down today. |
| 26. | ailing, esp., sick and bedridden: He's been down with a bad cold. |
| 27. | being the portion of the full price, as of an article bought on the installment plan, that is paid at the time of purchase or delivery: a payment of $200 down. |
| 28. | Football. (of the ball) not in play. |
| 29. | behind an opponent or opponents in points, games, etc.: The team won the pennant despite having been down three games in the final week of play. |
| 30. | Baseball. out. |
| 31. | losing or having lost the amount indicated, esp. at gambling: After an hour at poker, he was down $10. |
| 32. | having placed one's bet: Are you down for the fourth race? |
| 33. | finished, done, considered, or taken care of: five down and one to go. |
| 34. | out of order: The computer has been down all day. |
| 35. | a downward movement; descent. |
| 36. | a turn for the worse; reverse: The business cycle experienced a sudden down. |
| 37. | Football.
|
| 38. | Slang. an order of toast at a lunch counter or restaurant. |
| 39. | Slang. downer (defs. 1a, b). |
| 40. | to put, knock, or throw down; subdue: He downed his opponent in the third round. |
| 41. | to drink down, esp. quickly or in one gulp: to down a tankard of ale. |
| 42. | Informal. to defeat in a game or contest: The Mets downed the Dodgers in today's game. |
| 43. | to cause to fall from a height, esp. by shooting: Antiaircraft guns downed ten bombers. |
| 44. | to go down; fall. |
| 45. | (used as a command to a dog to stop attacking, to stop jumping on someone, to get off a couch or chair, etc.): Down, Rover! |
| 46. | (used as a command or warning to duck, take cover, or the like): Down! They're starting to shoot! |
| 47. | down and out, down-and-out. |
| 48. | down cold or pat, mastered or learned perfectly: Another hour of studying and I'll have the math lesson down cold. |
| 49. | down in the mouth, discouraged; depressed; sad. |
| 50. | down on, Informal. hostile or averse to: Why are you so down on sports? |
| 51. | down with!
|
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
[doun] Pronunciation Key | 1. | the soft, first plumage of many young birds. |
| 2. | the soft under plumage of birds as distinct from the contour feathers. |
| 3. | the under plumage of some birds, as geese and ducks, used for filling in quilts, clothing, etc., chiefly for warmth. |
| 4. | a growth of soft, fine hair or the like. |
| 5. | Botany.
|
| 6. | filled with down: a down jacket. |
] —Related forms
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
[doun] Pronunciation Key | 1. | Often, downs. (used esp. in southern England) open, rolling, upland country with fairly smooth slopes usually covered with grass. |
| 2. | (initial capital letter ) any sheep of several breeds, raised originally in the downs of southern England, as the Southdown, Suffolk, etc. |
| 3. | Archaic. a hill, esp. a sand hill or dune. |
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
[doun] Pronunciation Key | 1. | a county in SW Northern Ireland. 311,876; 952 sq. mi. (2466 sq. km). County seat: Downpatrick. |
| 2. | an administrative district in this county. 49,500; 253 sq. mi. (654 sq. km). |
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
| down 1
(doun) Pronunciation Key
adv.
adj.
prep.
n.
v. downed, down·ing, downs v. tr.
v. intr. To go or come down; descend. [Middle English doun, from Old English -dūne (as in ofdūne, downwards), from dūne, dative of dūn, hill; see dheuə- in Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
| down 2
(doun) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Middle English doun, from Old Norse dūnn.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
| down 3
(doun) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Middle English doune, from Old English dūn, hill; see dheuə- in Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
down (adv.)
down (n.1)
down (n.2)
| down | |
adjective | |
| 1. | being or moving lower in position or less in some value; "lay face down"; "the moon is down"; "our team is down by a run"; "down by a pawn"; "the stock market is down today" [ant: up] |
| 2. | extending or moving from a higher to a lower place; "the down staircase"; "the downward course of the stream" |
| 3. | becoming progressively lower; "the down trend in the real estate market" |
| 4. | being put out by a strikeout; "two down in the bottom of the ninth" |
| 5. | understood perfectly; "had his algebra problems down" |
| 6. | lower than previously; "the market is depressed"; "prices are down" [syn: depressed] |
| 7. | shut; "the shades were down" |
| 8. | not functioning (temporarily or permanently); "we can't work because the computer is down" |
| 9. | filled with melancholy and despondency ; "gloomy at the thought of what he had to face"; "gloomy predictions"; "a gloomy silence"; "took a grim view of the economy"; "the darkening mood"; "lonely and blue in a strange city"; "depressed by the loss of his job"; "a dispirited and resigned expression on her face"; "downcast after his defeat"; "feeling discouraged and downhearted" |
adverb | |
| 1. | 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" [ant: up] |
| 2. | 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" [ant: up] |
| 3. | paid in cash at time of purchase; "put ten dollars down on the necklace" |
| 4. | from an earlier time; "the story was passed down from father to son" |
| 5. | to a lower intensity; "he slowly phased down the light until the stage was completely black" [ant: up] |
| 6. | in an inactive or inoperative state; "the factory went down during the strike"; "the computer went down again" |
noun | |
| 1. | soft fine feathers |
| 2. | (American football) a complete play to advance the football; "you have four downs to gain ten yards" |
| 3. | English physician who first described Down's syndrome (1828-1896) |
| 4. | (usually plural) a rolling treeless highland with little soil |
| 5. | fine soft dense hair (as the fine short hair of cattle or deer or the wool of sheep or the undercoat of certain dogs) |
verb | |
| 1. | drink down entirely; "He downed three martinis before dinner"; "She killed a bottle of brandy that night"; "They popped a few beer after work" [syn: toss off] |
| 2. | eat immoderately; "Some people can down a pound of meat in the course of one meal" [syn: devour] |
| 3. | bring down or defeat (an opponent) |
| 4. | shoot at and force to come down; "the enemy landed several of our aircraft" |
| 5. | cause to come or go down; "The policeman downed the heavily armed suspect"; "The mugger knocked down the old lady after she refused to hand over her wallet" |
| 6. | improve or perfect by pruning or polishing; "refine one's style of writing" [syn: polish] |
down
In addition to the idioms beginning with down, also see back down; batten down the hatches; bear down; beat down; be down; belt down; bog down; boil down to; break down; breathe down one's neck; bring down; bring down the house; buckle down; build down; burn down; call down; cast down; caught with one's pants down; chow down; clamp down; close down; come down; come down on; come down to; come down with; cool down; cool off (down); count down; crack down; cut down; deep down; die away (down); dig down; draw down; dressing down; face down; fall down; flag down to; get down to brass tacks; go down (downhill); go down the line; hand down; hands down; hold down; it's all downhill; jump down someone's throat; keep down; knock back (down); knock down with a feather; knuckle down; lay down; lay down the law; lead down the garden path; let down easy; let one's hair down; let someone down; let the side down; lie down (on the job); live down; look down on; lowdown, get the; mark down; mow down; nail down; pin down; pipe down; play down; plunk down; pull down; put down; put down roots; put one's foot down; ram down someone's throat; ring down the curtain; rub down; run down; scale down; sell down the river; send down; set down; settle down; shake down; shoot down; shout down; shut down; simmer down; sit down; slap down; slow down; splash down; stand down; stare down; step down; strike down; suit down to the ground; take down; take down a notch; take lying down; talk down to; tear down; the lowdown on; throw down the gauntlet; thumbs up (down); tie down; tone down; touch down; track down; trade down; turn down; turn upside down; ups and downs; vote down; wash down; water down; wear down; weigh down; when it comes (down) to; when the chips are down; wind down; write down.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
down
1. Not operating. "The up escalator is down" is considered a humorous thing to say, and "The elevator is down" always means "The elevator isn't working" and never refers to what floor the elevator is on. With respect to computers, this term has passed into the mainstream; the extension to other kinds of machine is still hackish.
2. "go down" To stop functioning; usually said of the system. The message from the console that every hacker hates to hear from the operator is "System going down in 5 minutes".
3. "take down", "bring down" To deactivate purposely, usually for repair work or PM. "I'm taking the system down to work on that bug in the tape drive." Occasionally one hears the word "down" by itself used as a verb in this sense.
See crash; opposite: up.
[The Jargon File]
(1994-12-07)
down
1. adj. Not operating. "The up escalator is down" is considered a humorous thing to say (unless of course you were expecting to use it), and "The elevator is down" always means "The elevator isn't working" and never refers to what floor the elevator is on. With respect to computers, this term has passed into the mainstream; the extension to other kinds of machine is still confined to techies (e.g. boiler mechanics may speak of a boiler being down).
2. `go down' vi. To stop functioning; usually said of the system. The message from the console that every hacker hates to hear from the operator is "System going down in 5 minutes".
3. `take down', `bring down' vt. To deactivate purposely, usually for repair work or PM. "I'm taking the system down to work on that bug in the tape drive." Occasionally one hears the word `down' by itself used as a verb in this vt. sense. See crash; oppose up.
Down
Down\, n. [Akin to LG. dune, dun, Icel. d?nn, Sw. dun, Dan. duun, G. daune, cf. D. dons; perh. akin to E. dust.]1. Fine, soft, hairy outgrowth from the skin or surface of animals or plants, not matted and fleecy like wool; esp.: (a) (Zo["o]l.) The soft under feathers of birds. They have short stems with soft rachis and bards and long threadlike barbules, without hooklets. (b) (Bot.) The pubescence of plants; the hairy crown or envelope of the seeds of certain plants, as of the thistle. (c) The soft hair of the face when beginning to appear. And the first down begins to shade his face. --Dryden. 2. That which is made of down, as a bed or pillow; that which affords ease and repose, like a bed of down When in the down I sink my head, Sleep, Death's twin brother, times my breath. --Tennyson. Thou bosom softness, down of all my cares! --Southern. Down tree (Bot.), a tree of Central America (Ochroma Lagopus), the seeds of which are enveloped in vegetable wool.Down
Down\, v. t. To cover, ornament, line, or stuff with down. [R.] --Young.Down
Down\, n. [OE. dun, doun, AS. d?n; of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. d?n hill, fortified hill, Gael. dun heap, hillock, hill, W. din a fortified hill or mount; akin to E. town. See Town, and cf. Down, adv. & prep., Dune.]1. A bank or rounded hillock of sand thrown up by the wind along or near the shore; a flattish-topped hill; -- usually in the plural. Hills afford prospects, as they must needs acknowledge who have been on the downs of Sussex. --Ray. She went by dale, and she went by down. --Tennyson. 2. A tract of poor, sandy, undulating or hilly land near the sea, covered with fine turf which serves chiefly for the grazing of sheep; -- usually in the plural. [Eng.] Seven thousand broad-tailed sheep grazed on his downs. --Sandys. 3. pl. A road for shipping in the English Channel or Straits of Dover, near Deal, employed as a naval rendezvous in time of war. On the 11th [June, 1771] we run up the channel . . . at noon we were abreast of Dover, and about three came to an anchor in the Downs, and went ashore at Deal. --Cook (First Voyage). 4. pl. [From the adverb.] A state of depression; low state; abasement. [Colloq.] It the downs of life too much outnumber the ups. --M. Arnold.Down
Down\, adv. [For older adown, AS. ad?n, ad?ne, prop., from or off the hill. See 3d Down, and cf. Adown, and cf. Adown.]1. In the direction of gravity or toward the center of the earth; toward or in a lower place or position; below; -- the opposite of up. 2. Hence, in many derived uses, as: (a) From a higher to a lower position, literally or figuratively; in a descending direction; from the top of an ascent; from an upright position; to the ground or floor; to or into a lower or an inferior condition; as, into a state of humility, disgrace, misery, and the like; into a state of rest; -- used with verbs indicating motion. It will be rain to-night. Let it come down. --Shak. I sit me down beside the hazel grove. --Tennyson. And that drags down his life. --Tennyson. There is not a more melancholy object in the learned world than a man who has written himself down. --Addison. The French . . . shone down [i. e., outshone] the English. --Shak. (b) In a low or the lowest position, literally or figuratively; at the bottom of a decent; below the horizon; of the ground; in a condition of humility, dejection, misery, and the like; in a state of quiet. I was down and out of breath. --Shak. The moon is down; I have not heard the clock. --Shak. He that is down needs fear no fall. --Bunyan. 3. From a remoter or higher antiquity. Venerable men! you have come down to us from a former generation. --D. Webster. 4. From a greater to a less bulk, or from a thinner to a thicker consistence; as, to boil down in cookery, or in making decoctions. --Arbuthnot. Note: Down is sometimes used elliptically, standing for go down, come down, tear down, take down, put down, haul down, pay down, and the like, especially in command or exclamation. Down, therefore, and beg mercy of the duke. --Shak. If he be hungry more than wanton, bread alone will down. --Locke. Down is also used intensively; as, to be loaded down; to fall down; to hang down; to drop down; to pay down. The temple of Her[`e] at Argos was burnt down. --Jowett (Thucyd. ). Down, as well as up, is sometimes used in a conventional sense; as, down East. Persons in London say down to Scotland, etc., and those in the provinces, up to London. --Stormonth. Down helm (Naut.), an order to the helmsman to put the helm to leeward. Down on or upon (joined with a verb indicating motion, as go, come, pounce), to attack, implying the idea of threatening power. Come down upon us with a mighty power. --Shak. Down with, take down, throw down, put down; -- used in energetic command. "Down with the palace; fire it." --Dryden. To be down on, to dislike and treat harshly. [Slang, U.S.] To cry down. See under Cry, v. t. To cut down. See under Cut, v. t. Up and down, with rising and falling motion; to and fro; hither and thither; everywhere. "Let them wander up and down." --Ps. lix. 15.Down
Down\, prep. [From Down, adv.]1. In a descending direction along; from a higher to a lower place upon or within; at a lower place in or on; as, down a hill; down a well. 2. Hence: Towards the mouth of a river; towards the sea; as, to sail or swim down a stream; to sail down the sound. Down the country, toward the sea, or toward the part where rivers discharge their waters into the ocean. Down the sound, in the direction of the ebbing tide; toward the sea.Down
Down\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Downed; p. pr. & vb. n. Downing.] To cause to go down; to make descend; to put down; to overthrow, as in wrestling; hence, to subdue; to bring down. [Archaic or Colloq.] "To down proud hearts." --Sir P. Sidney. I remember how you downed Beauclerk and Hamilton, the wits, once at our house. --Madame D'Arblay.Down
Down\, v. i. To go down; to descend. --Locke.Down
Down\, a. 1. Downcast; as, a down look. [R.] 2. Downright; absolute; positive; as, a down denial. [Obs.] --Beau. & Fl. 3. Downward; going down; sloping; as, a down stroke; a down grade; a down train on a railway. Down draught, a downward draft, as in a flue, chimney, shaft of a mine, etc. Down in the mouth, chopfallen; dejected.
