| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| down1 |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |  doun |
| ADVERB: | 1a. From a higher to a lower place or position: hiked down from the peak. b. Toward, to, or on the ground, floor, or bottom: tripped and fell down. 2. In or into a sitting, kneeling, or reclining position: knelt down; lying down. 3. Toward or in the south; southward: flew down to Florida. 4a. Away from a place considered central or a center of activity, such as a city or town: down on the farm; sent down to work at the firm's regional office. b. Away from the present place. 5. To a specific location or source: tracking a rumor down. 6. Toward or at a low or lower point on a scale: from the biggest down to the smallest. 7a. To or in a quiescent or subdued state: calmed down. b. In or into an inactive or inoperative state: The generators went down at midnight. 8. To or at a lower intensity. 9. To or into a lower or inferior condition, as of subjection, defeat, or disgrace. 10. To an extreme degree; heavily: worn down by worry. 11. Seriously or vigorously: get down to the project at hand. 12. From earlier times or people: tradition handed down from one generation to the next. 13. To a reduced or concentrated form: pared the term paper down to five pages. 14. In writing; on paper: wrote the statement down. 15. In partial payment at the time of purchase: put ten dollars down on the necklace. 16. Into or toward a secure position: nailed down the boards; bolted the furniture down. | | ADJECTIVE: | 1a. Moving or directed downward: a down elevator. b. Low or lower: Stock prices were down today. c. Reduced; diminished: The wind is down. 2. Afflicted; sick: She's down with a bad cold. 3. Malfunctioning or not operating, especially temporarily: The computer is down. 4. Low in spirits; depressed: feeling down today. 5a. Sports & Games Trailing an opponent: a team down 20 points in the last quarter; down two pawns in the endgame. b. Football Not in play: The ball is down on the 50-yard line. c. Football Not permitted to advance further in the play because forward progress has stopped, especially by being tackled. Used of a ball carrier. d. Baseball Retired; out: two down in the last of the ninth. 6. Completed; done: three down, two to go. 7. Learned or known perfectly: had the algebra problems down. 8. Slang Having knowledge of; aware: “He was not, I detected, ‘down with the revolution’” (Clarence Page, Essence November 1996). 9. Slang Of high quality; excellent. | | PREPOSITION: | 1. In a descending direction along, upon, into, or through: rolled down the hill; floating down the river; went down cellar. 2. Along the course of: walking down the street. 3. In or at: The cans are stored down cellar. | | NOUN: | 1. A downward movement; descent. 2. Football Any of a series of four plays during which a team must advance at least ten yards to retain possession of the ball. | | VERB: | Inflected forms: downed, down·ing, downs
| | TRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To bring, put, strike, or throw down: downed his opponent in the first round. 2. To swallow hastily; gulp: downed the glass of water. 3. Football To put (the ball) out of play by touching it to the ground. | | INTRANSITIVE VERB: | To go or come down; descend. | | IDIOMS: | down on Informal Hostile or negative toward; ill-disposed to: was down on jogging after his injury. down on (one's) luck Afflicted by misfortune. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English doun, from Old English -d ne (as in ofdne, downwards), from dne, dative of dn, hill. See dheu - in Appendix I.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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