down
23 synonyms and 5 antonyms for down, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adverb — From a higher place to a lower one.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Antonyms
How to use down
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Etymology
From Old English dūne, a shortened form of ofdūne, literally "off the hill" — combining of ("off") with dūn ("hill").
Full origin of down →Frequently asked questions
What does “down” mean?
The word “down” means from a higher place to a lower one. In plain terms, one of English's most flexible small words — covering direction, sadness, system outages, drinking fast, and soft feathers.
How do you pronounce “down”?
“Down” is pronounced DOWN (/ˈdaʊ̯n/ in IPA).
How do you use “down” in a sentence?
Here is “down” used in a sentence: “She climbed down the ladder carefully.”
What is the opposite of “down”?
The opposite of “down” — its antonyms — are up, across, back, backwards and rearwards.
What part of speech is “down”?
Depending on how it is used, “down” can be an adverb, a preposition, an adjective, a verb and a noun.
Where does the word “down” come from?
The word “down” comes from Old English. From Old English dūne, a shortened form of ofdūne, literally "off the hill" — combining of ("off") with dūn ("hill").
Is “down” a common word?
“Down” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “down” have?
“Down” has 6 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: from a higher place to a lower one.
What is the difference between up and down?
'Down' describes movement or position from a higher place to a lower one, as in 'walk down the stairs.' 'Up' is its exact opposite, describing movement toward a higher place, as in 'climb up.' They form the most basic vertical pair in English, marking the two directions along which things rise or fall.
Is 'down' a preposition or an adverb?
'Down' can be both. As an adverb it modifies a verb, as in 'she sat down.' As a preposition it takes an object, as in 'he ran down the hill.' It also works as an adjective ('feeling down'), a noun (soft feathers), and even a verb ('to down a drink').
What are the different meanings of 'down'?
Besides movement to a lower place, 'down' can mean sad or low in spirits ('feeling down'), reduced ('prices are down'), or not working ('the system is down'). As a noun it means soft feathers, and as a verb it means to swallow quickly or bring something to the ground.
What is an example of 'down' used as an adverb?
'The sun went down behind the hills' shows movement to a lower position. 'Sit down, please' directs someone to lower themselves. 'Turn the volume down' means reduce it. In each case, 'down' modifies the verb and points to a lower place, level, or amount.