From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlowerlow‧er1 /ˈləʊə $ ˈloʊər/ ●●● W3 adjective 1 [only before noun]UNDER/BELOW below something else, especially below something of the same type OPP upper Nina chewed her lower lip anxiously. Ruth went down to the lower deck (=lower level on a ship).your lower limbs (=your legs)2 [only before noun]BOTTOM at or near the bottom of something OPP upper the lower slopes of the mountain She suffers with pain in her lower back.3 LESSsmaller in number or amount OPP higher Temperatures will be lower over the weekend.4 [only before noun]UNIMPORTANT less important than something else of the same type OPP higher the lower levels of management
Examples from the Corpus
lower• The program is broadcast in the morning, a time when advertising rates are much lower.• Everyone knows that you get a lower air fare if you stay over a Saturday night.• A higher interest rate will allow a smaller lump sum and lower annual deposits.• The magic, upper and lower case, is gone.• We drove onto the lower deck of the ferry.• the lower deck of the stadium• There's no doubt that lower energy prices are having some short-term impact on the stock market.• Her irises rest above the horizon of her lower eyelids; the stare fixes me.• They rejected our estimate and suggested a lower figure.• I got lower grades than the other students in my class.• The second was added to the first, over the cheek and lower jaw, to give a further stage of disintegration.• The dentist filled two teeth in my lower jaw.• muscles of the lower leg• The alternative - that these lower levels are partly responsible for the development of oesophagitis - is also possible.• This expression is an inequality, giving upper and lower limits on relationships between the measured variables.• The baby's lower lip quivered and then she began crying.• your lower lip• The 15 percent. was largely accounted for in the lower ranks.• The divorce rate in Japan is much lower than in the U.S.• Foreign workers have fewer rights and get lower wages.lowerlower2 ●●○ S3 W3 verb 1 reduce [intransitive, transitive]REDUCE to reduce something in amount, degree, strength etc, or to become less Do you think we should lower the price? After 20 minutes lower the temperature to 325°. drugs to lower blood pressure Helen lowered her voice (=made it quieter) as they approached. His voice lowered (=became quieter).► see thesaurus at reduceRegisterIn everyday English, people usually say that someone turns down the temperature or volume rather than lowers it:Can you turn the heating down?2 move down [transitive]DOWN to move something down from higher up OPP raise Very gently, he lowered the dog onto the rug by the fire. The flags were lowered to half-mast. Greg watched as the coffin was lowered.lower yourself He lowered himself carefully down from the top of the wall.3 → lower your eyes/head4 → lower yourself5 → lower the tone (of something) —lowered adjective He leaned forward and spoke in a lowered voice.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
lower• The old man just lowered at us as we walked by.• Larsen then passed the window pane down to Grant, and lowered himself through in turn.• The old man lowered himself wearily into his chair.• At any moment he might trample into the road, lower his head, run at some one.• Houses have lowered in value recently.• The Bundesbank is under pressure to lower interest rates.• Lowering its head, the bull charged at him.• The South Pasadena specialty food chain recently started lowering its prices for gourmet roasted whole beans.• We're lowering prices on all of our trucks.• This is effective not because it lowers serum potassium concentration but because it directly antagonizes the membrane depolarizing effect of hyperkalemia.• The coffin was lowered slowly into the ground.• We need to lower the mirror in the bathroom.• She lowered the sleeves, down, down, until they reached her wrists.• We had our kitchen cabinets lowered to be more accessible.• Later a microphone was lowered to him.lowered ... voice• But the unfamiliar, the militant, will mistake his lowered voice and nervousness for weakness.• She lowered her voice, leaning closer.• They lowered their voices right down to the floor.lower yourself• Corrigan took them and lowered himself.• He slid into schooling like an athlete lowering himself into a whirlpool, feeling the heat deep in his tissue.• I lower myself into the chair, keeping as far away as possible.• Hindered by scolding women and jeering men, the soldiers lowered themselves into the cramped crawl spaces.• The hood framed her expressive face, emphasising the grimace of determination before she lowered herself into the starting blocks.• I gave Becky to them and lowered myself into the water.• Police were called to the shop in Southampton after a passer-by spotted Urben lowering himself through the roof into the showroom.• She lowered herself to the beam, one leg down, the other forward.• I'd like to tell these creeps off, but I don't want to lower myself to their level.lowerlow‧er3 (also lour British English) /ˈlaʊə $ -ər/ verb [intransitive] literary 1 DARKwhen the sky or the weather lowers, it becomes dark because there is going to be a storm SYN darken lowering clouds2 THREATENto look threatening or annoyed SYN frown The other driver lowered at us as we passed him.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
lower• Many brokerage house shares were also lower.• They pursue reliability just because they know it leads to lower costs and increased market share.• Larsen then passed the window pane down to Grant, and lowered himself through in turn.• At any moment he might trample into the road, lower his head, run at some one.• The South Pasadena specialty food chain recently started lowering its prices for gourmet roasted whole beans.• This is effective not because it lowers serum potassium concentration but because it directly antagonizes the membrane depolarizing effect of hyperkalemia.• She lowered the sleeves, down, down, until they reached her wrists.• Later a microphone was lowered to him.From Longman Business Dictionarylowerlow‧er /ˈləʊəˈloʊər/ verb [transitive] to reduce something in amount, level etcProduction has soared, allowing him to lower his prices.→ See Verb table 