downer

[ dou-ner ]
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noun
  1. Informal.

    • a depressant or sedative drug, especially a barbiturate.

    • a depressing experience, person, or situation.

  2. Animal Husbandry. an old or diseased animal, especially one that cannot stand up.

Origin of downer

1
1910–15, Americanism, for an earlier sense; 1965–70, for def. 1; down1 + -er1

Words Nearby downer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use downer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for downer

downer

/ (ˈdaʊnə) /


nounslang
  1. Also called: down a barbiturate, tranquillizer, or narcotic: Compare upper

  2. a depressing experience

  1. a state of depression: he's on a downer today

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012