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0
in or towards a low or lower position, from a higher one:
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Is this lift going down?
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Don't look down! You'll get dizzy.
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The sun's going down and it'll be dark soon.
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The space capsule came down in the ocean.
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I bent down to look under the bed.
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Just as I was sitting down to watch TV, the phone rang.
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Why don't you lie down on the sofa for a while?
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This box is really heavy - can we put it down (on the floor) for a minute?
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Get down off that table immediately!
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The terrorists forced everybody to lie face down (= with the front part of the body below) on the floor.
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I put the loose floorboard back and nailed it down.
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He held my arms down by my sides.
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1
in or towards a lower level, a smaller amount, or a simpler state:
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The rate of inflation is finally going down.
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Turn the TV down - it's way too loud!
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The nurse bandaged my sprained ankle to keep the swelling down (= to limit the swelling).
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If you wait a few months, the price will come down.
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The Cavaliers were 20 points down (= losing by 20 points) at half-time.
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The number of students at this school has gone down from 500 last year to 410.
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2
If you burn, cut, or knock something or someone down, you cause it, him, or her to fall to the ground, usually damaged, destroyed, or injured:
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The house burned down many years ago.
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These trees will have to be cut down to make way for the new road.
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UK She was knocked down by a car and killed instantly.
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3
in writing or on paper:
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I'll write it down now so I won't forget.
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Do you have it down in writing/on paper, or was it just a verbal agreement?
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I've got/put you down for (= have written that you want) three tickets each.
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The police officers were taking down the names of witnesses.
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4
used, especially with prepositions, to emphasize that a place is at some distance from you or from somewhere considered to be central:
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I'll meet you down at the gym after work.
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He has a house down by the harbour.
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I'm going down to the shop to buy some milk.
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It's much warmer down (in the) south.
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My parents live down in Florida, but they come up to Chicago every summer.
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We're moving down to London.
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5
from an older person to a younger one:
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The necklace has been passed/handed down through seven generations.
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These myths have come down to us from prehistoric times.
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6
inside your stomach:
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UK You'll feel better once you've got some hot soup down you.
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He's getting weak because he can't keep anything down.
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7
at the time of buying:
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I gave him $1,000 down, and paid the rest in instalments.
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8
in or towards a low or lower position, from a higher one:
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I slid down the hill.
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Aikiko fell down some stairs and broke her wrist.
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9
along:
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We drove down the highway as far as Atlanta.
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Her office is down the corridor on the right.
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They sailed the boat down the river (= towards the sea).
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10
to:
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I went down the pub with my mates.
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11
to cause something or someone to fall to the ground:
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We downed three enemy planes with our missiles.
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The ice storm has downed trees and power lines all over the region.
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12
to eat or drink something quickly:
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He'd downed four beers before I'd finished one.
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13
to defeat someone, especially in sport:
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The Yankees downed the Red Sox 7–0.
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14
unhappy; unable to feel excited or energetic about anything:
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She's been really down since her husband left.
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I've been (feeling) a little bit down this week.
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15
(of a system or machine, especially a computer) not in operation or not working, usually only for a limited period of time:
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The network will be down for an hour for routine maintenance.
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The whole system's gone down.
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16
small soft feathers, especially those from a young bird:
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17
to dislike someone, often unfairly:
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Why do you have a down on him? I think he seems really nice.
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at or towards the end or the lower or worse part:
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19
in or toward a low or lower position, from a higher one:
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There’s a bathroom down the stairs and to the right.
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He poured the rest of the coffee down the drain.
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The cat jumped down from the chair.
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Please sit down (= stop standing and come to a sitting position).
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If you feel ill, why don’t you lie down (= stop standing and come to a lying position) for a while?
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We’re going to have to cut down this tree.
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Workers in the convention center taped down the edges of the carpets.
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fig. We hope to nail down the agreement at tomorrow’s meeting.
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20
in or toward a lower place or level, a smaller amount, or a simpler state:
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Unemployment went down last month, dropping to under 6%.
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Lots of stores are having sales, and prices are coming down.
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He was down to his last $5 (= that was all he had left).
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The fire burned down.
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She’s slimmed down a lot in the past few months.
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Would you please turn down the music – it’s too loud.
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21
into a worse position or state:
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Michigan, down (by) (= losing by) ten points at the half, came back to win the football game.
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22
used, esp. with prepositions, to emphasize that a place is far from the speaker or in or toward the south:
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I’ll meet you down at the health club after work.
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My parents moved down to Florida after they retired.
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23
in writing or on paper:
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He agreed to the deal, but until we get it down on paper, we don’t have a legal contract.
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24
at the time of buying:
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She paid $100 down and the rest in installments.
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along:
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Her office is down the hall on the right.
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unhappy:
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I’m feeling a little down, I guess because most people have gone home for the holidays and I’m still here.
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27
(of a system or machine, esp. a computer) not in operation or not working, usually only for a limited period of time:
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The network will be down until noon today.
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28
small, soft feathers or hair, esp. those of a young bird
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29
to eat or drink something quickly:
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She quickly downed her tea and left to catch the bus.
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30
at or towards a lower level or a smaller amount:
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The stock market is down for the fifth week in a row.
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go/come down Consumers may be waiting for prices to come down before they buy.
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The number of workers here has gone down from 500 last year to 410.
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Production is down by almost a fifth.
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down 10p/10%/10 points, etc. Operating profits were down 50%.
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10p/10%/10 points, etc. down Lead closed three dollars down at $611 per tonne.
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Sales were way down on the same quarter last year.
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Most currencies in the region ended the week slightly down against the US dollar.
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31
in writing or on paper:
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write/note/jot sth down
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down in writing/on paper Do you have it down in writing, or was it just a verbal agreement?
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have sb down for sth On next month's order I've got you down for three cases of supplies.
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32
if you pay money down on something, you pay part of the price and will pay the rest later:
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pay 10%/$100, etc. down We paid 10% down on the house and took out a mortgage for the rest.
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money/cash down The sign advertised easy mortgages and houses with no money down.
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33
having less money than before:
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The deal left him almost $500 down.
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34
if a computer or system is down, it is not working, usually for a limited period:
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The network will be down for an hour for routine maintenance.
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The whole system's gone down.
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35
to refuse to continue working, especially because you are not satisfied with your pay or working conditions:
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The printers are threatening to down tools if the pay offer is not increased to 8%.
