down

1 /daUn/ adverb

1 from above towards a lower place or position: David bent down to tie his shoelace. | The sun beat down on their heads all day long.

2 at a lower place or position than usual: You can't cross here, the bridge is down.

3 at or towards a lower position or floor: We heard the sound of laughter down below. | Let's go down to the kitchen.

4 into a sitting or lying position: Please sit down. | I think I'll go and lie down for a while.

5 firmly and tightly into place or position: Have you stuck down the envelope?

6 towards the south: They drove all the way down from Boston to Miami.

—opposite up 1 (4)

7 BrE away from a university at the end of a period of study: Sarah went down from Oxford in 1966.

8 at or towards a lower level in price or amount: Keep your speed down. | House prices have come down in recent months.

9 into a weaker, smaller, or quieter state: Would you mind turning the radio down? | The heels of his shoes had worn down.

(+ to): Sharif cut his report down to only three pages.

10 be down to your last pound/dollar/litre to be left with only a small amount of something: We're down to our last five dollars.

11 write/note/jot/take down to write something on paper: I'll write down the address for you.

12 pass/hand down to give or tell something to people in the next generation (1): The jewels were passed down through the family.

13 paid to someone immediately in cash 1 (1): A top quality freezer for only -20 down and -5 a week for a year.

14 from top to bottom: I want you to wash my car down.

15 in or into the body as a result of swallowing: Meg's been very ill and can't keep her food down.

16 be down to sb if something is down to someone they are responsible for it or must make a decision about it: It's down to Tom to decide whether to pay it or not.

—see also: be up to sb up 1 (16)

17 be/come down to sth to be mainly the result of one particular thing: Most of the problems came down to bad management.

18 Down! spoken used to tell a jumping dog to get down

19 down to including something or someone at a low level or rank: Everyone uses the cafeteria, from the managing director down to the office boy.

20 down under informal in or to Australia or New Zealand

21 Down with... spoken used to express opposition and a wish for someone or something to go: Down with the government!

22 be/go down with sth to have a particular illness: Jane's down with flu.

2 preposition

1 towards the ground or a lower point, or in a lower position: The bathroom is down those stairs.

2 along: The wind raced down the alley.

3 down the river in the direction of the river's current: We sailed down the river.

4 down the shops/park/market etc BrE informal an expression meaning to or at the shops etc, that some people think is not correct: Bob's just gone down the pub.

5 down the road/pike/line etc AmE at some time in the future: You'll understand better a few years down the line when you've had some experience.

3 adjective

1 SAD (not before noun) sad and discouraged: Andy's been feeling down lately.

2 IN A GAME (not before noun) behind an opponent by a certain number of points: Agassi was down by two sets to one.

3 COMPLETED (not before noun) informal done or finished: Three exercises down and two to go.

4 be down on sb/sth informal to have a low opinion of someone or something: Why is Mark so down on her at the moment?

5 COMPUTER (not before noun) if a computer is down, it is not working

—opposite up 3 (3)

6 have/put sb down for sth to have or put someone's name on a list of people who want to do something: Put me down to bring the desserts.

7 down escalator/staircase an escalator (=moving stairs) or stairs which take you down to a lower level

—see also: be down on your luck luck 1 (14) 4 verb (T)

1 to drink or eat something quickly: Jack downed three beers with his steak and fries.

2 to knock or force someone to the ground: O'Malley downed his opponent in the first round.

3 down tools BrE to stop working at the end of a day or to strike (=protest about conditions by stopping work)

5 noun

1 (U) soft hair like a baby's

2 (U) the soft fine feathers of a bird

3 (C) one of the four chances that an American football team has to move forward when it is their turn to have the ball

4 the downs low round hills covered with grass, as in the south of England

5 have a down on sb BrE informal to dislike or have a bad opinion of someone: Mark had a down on Utopians.

—see also: ups and downs up 4 (2)