From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdowndown1 /daʊn/ ●●● S1 W1 adverb, preposition, adjective 1 to a lower positionDOWN to or towards a lower place or position OPP up David bent down to tie his shoelace. Get down off the table. Tears were streaming down my face. The sun was going down and it would soon be dark. They came running down the stairs. She stood on a balcony looking down into the courtyard. Glancing down the list of runners, I noticed a familiar name. Her hair came down to her waist. Ken fell asleep face down (=with his face towards the ground) on the couch.2 UNDER/BELOWin a lower place in a lower place or position OPP up We heard the sound of laughter down below. The bathroom is down those stairs. Halfway down the page, there was the item I was looking for.3 LIE DOWNto lie/sit into a sitting or lying position Please sit down. I think I’ll go and lie down for a while.4 NEXT TOalong at or to a place that is further along something such as a road or path A young man came hurrying down the street. She looked down the road to see if anyone was coming. There is a pleasant little cafe bar a hundred yards down the road. The bus stop is a bit further down on the left-hand side.5 SGDOWNsouth in or towards the south OPP up They drove all the way down from Boston to Miami. They sailed down the east coast of Africa. Now he’s bought a villa down south. a trip down Mexico way 6 somewhere local at or to a place that is not far away She’s just gone down to the shops. I saw her down at the station this morning.7 river away from the place where a river starts OPP up Chunks of ice came floating down the river.8 TIGHTfastened to a surface used with verbs that mean ‘fasten’ to show that something is fastened firmly to the surface or object below it The coffin lid had been nailed down.9 LESSless at or towards a level or amount that is less OPP up Keep your speed down. House prices have come down in recent months. Turn the radio down.down to Sharif cut his report down to only three pages.10 IN A GAMEDSlosing losing to an opponent by a certain number of pointstwo goals down/three points down etc Swindon were six points down at one stage. 11 TCwrittenWRITE used with verbs that mean ‘write’ to show that you write something on paper or in a book I’ll write down the address for you. Start by jotting down a few ideas. Let’s put you down as self-employed.12 LISTon a list if you are down for something, your name is on a list of people who want to do something or are intended to do somethingdown for Purvis is down for the 200 metre freestyle event. We’ve already put his name down for nursery school.down to do something I’ve got you down to do the table decorations.13 FAMILYto later times from an earlier time in history to a later time or to people who are born in later times a person whose words and actions have inspired millions of people down the centuries This knowledge was handed down in the family from father to son. The story has been passed down the generations for a thousand years.down to traditions that have come down to us from medieval times14 BBpaid immediately paid to someone immediately A top quality freezer for only £20 down and £5 a week for a year.15 DOWNevery part from top to bottom I want you to wash my car down. 16 MIswallowed in or into your stomach as a result of swallowing Meg’s been very ill and can’t keep her food down. He gulped down the coffee.17 SADSAD/UNHAPPYsad unhappy or sad Tim’s been feeling down.► see thesaurus at sad18 COMPUTERTDcomputer if a computer is down, it is not working OPP up► see thesaurus at broken19 → be down to somebody20 → be down to somebody/something21 → be down to your last pound/dollar/litre etc22 → down to something/somebody23 → be/go down with something24 → Down with somebody/something25 → be down on somebody/something26 SECleaving university British English used to say that someone leaves or has left a university at the end of a period of studydown from Sarah came down from Oxford in 1966.27 completed already done or completed Well, you’ve passed your second test, so it’s two down and four more to go. 28 → down under29 → Down!30 → be down with somebody → be down on your luck at luck1(17)
Examples from the Corpus
down• The next day, the sky was clear and the sun beat down.• Keep your speed down.• Can I turn the TV down a little?• Lease a new Ford today for no money down and low monthly payments.• Angie, why don't you sit down and relax?• Were there many people down at the beach today?• Grit and sand can wear down every moving part in your bike.• I think I'll go and lie down for a while.• The only thing I don't like about living down here is the traffic.• House prices have come down in recent months.• We've got most of the old Tarzan books down in the basement.• Lots of trees were blown down onto houses when a tornado hit Cleveland County.• I have his number down somewhere.• There's a parking lot down there, below the cliff.• We're going down to the mall and look at those cars they have there.• David bent down to tie his shoelace.• Well, we could tape the mat down with duct tape.face down• Now he could see that it was lying face down.• She was flung violently forward, to land face down in a heap of blankets.• After Vorontseff had fallen off twice he was hoisted up by a grinning trooper and thrown face down in front of the saddle.• Side by side, the two men lay face down in the grass, feet toward the rear of the pale car.• He threw himself, face down, into the two-foot-deep trench and lay still.• Douglas found her lying face down on the floor.• I was lying face down on the ground.• The pieces would be taken out and placed face down on the ground.• The view while lying face down, shielding our eyes from the sun with our hands, was superb.• Larry Flynt presents the infamous pornographer as a likable slob who faced down the big guys and won.down to• Why don't you come down to Albuquerque?• Sharif cut his report down to only three pages. down from• You know their neighbor, the one that lives two doors down from them?Down!Down!spokenDHPDOWN used to tell a jumping dog to get down → downdowndown2 verb [transitive] 1 DFEATto drink or eat something quickly He downed the coffee in one gulp.2 HITto knock or force someone to the ground O'Malley downed his opponent in the first round.3 → down tools→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
down• He claimed the rebels downed 35 government aircraft.• After downing a whole bottle of tequila, she swallowed several dozen sleeping tablets.• More than 60 electrical wires were downed by the wet, heavy snow.• The servant brought a glass of water, which I downed in a single mouthful.• Parker downed it in one swallow.• Malone added 20 points as Utah downed Orlando in Salt Lake City.• Schumacher sank back in his seat and downed the tumbler of whisky which had appeared at his side.• Jack downed three beers with his steak and fries.downdown3 noun 1 [uncountable]DCB soft hair like a baby’s2 [uncountable]HBB the soft fine feathers of a bird3 [countable]DSA one of the four chances that an American football team has to move forward when it is their turn to have the ball4 → the downs5 → have a down on somebody → ups and downs at up2(1)Examples from the Corpus
down• Bring a down jacket and a pair of gloves, and you'll be fine.• a down comforter• As a result, some aspects of Hollywood history are magnified in the ups and downs of his career.• In the second quarter, he sprinted up the field 13 yards for a first down.• They averaged more than six yards a play, and they picked up nine first downs.• They also blitzed continually on first and second downs, putting the Raiders in more predictable, long-yardage situations.• Across the fields towards the downs is the disused Wilts and Berks Canal.down-down- /daʊn/ prefix 1 DOWNat or towards the bottom or end of something → up- downstairs downriver (=nearer to where it goes into the sea)2 DOWNused to show that something is being made smaller or less important OPP up- to downgrade a job (=make it less important) to downsize a company (=reduce the number of jobs in it)3 WORSEused to show that something is bad or negative OPP up- the downside of a situation (=the negative part of it) down-market products (=low quality products)From Longman Business Dictionarydowndown1 /daʊn/ adverb1if an amount or the level of something goes down, it falls to a lower amount or levelBy lunchtime, the 100-index was down 4.2 at 3053.1.59% of companies report sales volume down on a year ago.The cuts have taken the company’s UK workforce down by 30%2FINANCE cash/money down money paid as a first payment towards a larger sum. Cash down can also mean paying for something immediately in notes and coins rather than with a chequeThe sum of money to be paid is $50 cash down and ten monthly installments of $5. → see also down payment3COMPUTING if a machine, system, or piece of electrical equipment is down, it is not workingMy system went down over the weekend and I didn’t get any emails.The printer can be used even when the telecommunication lines are down. → opposite updowndown2 verb down tools if the people who work in a factory down tools, they refuse to workWorkers downed tools in protest against the redundancies. → compare strike2→ See Verb tableOrigin down2 1. (1300-1400) Old Norse dúnn2. (1800-1900) → DOWN23. Old English dun “hill” 