down

down1 [ daun ] function word ***

Down can be used in the following ways:

as a preposition (followed by a noun):

She was walking down the street.

as an adverb (without a following noun):

She lay down and fell asleep.

after the verb to be :

Oil prices are down.

as an adjective:

I've been feeling rather down lately.

1. ) to or toward a lower place

a ) moving toward a lower place or position:

Someone pushed him and he fell down the stairs.

Snowflakes floated down through the cold night air.

Tears were rolling down his cheeks.

We watched the sun go down.

b ) from a higher place to the ground:

Their airplane came down in a field beside the highway.

Get down off that roof, it's dangerous.

c ) looking, pointing, or leading to a lower place:

We paused for a moment, gazing down into the valley below.

steps leading down to the beach

the down escalator

d ) used for saying that you put something you are carrying onto a lower surface:

Put the box down on the table.

2. ) in a lower place in a lower place or at a lower level:

It was dark and cold down in the cellar.

Your name's farther down the list.

down below: We could hear noises coming from down below.

3. ) into or in a sitting or lying position

a ) moving your body into a sitting, bending, or lying position:

Why don't you sit down and rest your legs?

I crouched down behind some bushes.

b ) remaining in a sitting, lying, or bending position:

The headache was so bad she spent the rest of the day lying down.

The tape has exercises you can do while you are sitting down.

4. ) along a road, river, etc.

a ) moving or looking along a road, path, etc.:

I was walking down the street with a couple of friends.

James looked back down the driveway to see if anyone was following him.

b ) moving or looking along a river in the same direction as the current:

We sailed down the Yellow River toward the ocean.

c ) at a point somewhere on a road, path, etc. in a direction away from you:

They live somewhere down Park Avenue.

100 yards/2 miles, etc. down something: The nearest hotel is five or six miles down the main road.

d ) at a point farther along a river in the direction of the current:

There's another bridge farther down the river.

5. ) at or to a place that is near

a ) SPOKEN at or to a place that is near you:

I'm going down to the library do you want me to take your books back?

I saw him down at the station this morning.

6. ) south

a ) going toward the south:

My mom and dad go down to Florida every winter.

b ) in a place that is to the south of where you are:

Newhaven is down on the south coast.

7. ) when something is reduced

a ) at or to a smaller amount, lower level, etc. than before:

The government is determined to bring down unemployment.

down to: House prices have come down to a more reasonable level.

down by: Overall demand for heating energy last winter was down by about 10%.

down from: Crime is down 15% from last year.

b ) used for saying that something becomes less strong, less violent, or less loud:

The storm had died down by evening.

Turn down the radio.

8. ) when something is damaged used for saying that something is damaged or destroyed and falls to the ground:

The opera house burned down in 1990.

It's been more than ten years since the Berlin Wall came down.

9. ) when you write something used for saying that you write something on a piece of paper or in a book:

I copied down his address and phone number.

Let me write that down before I forget it.

10. ) when something is fastened used for saying that something is fastened or stuck to a surface:

The lid on the jar was screwed down tight.

11. ) when something is cleaned thoroughly used for saying that all of a large object is cleaned from top to bottom:

We need to wash down the walls before we can start painting.

12. ) when you eat or drink something when food or drink goes down, it goes from your mouth to your stomach:

Lunch consisted of a chicken pot pie washed down with a glass of milk.

He gulped down his dinner and got up from the table.

13. ) when someone is sick used for saying that someone has an illness:

be/come down with something: Poor Susan came down with flu just before Christmas.

14. ) for the people who live after you used for saying that something is given to the next GENERATION (=people who are alive after you die):

hand/pass down: The ancient creation stories have been handed down from generation to generation.

15. ) unhappy INFORMAL unhappy or sad:

be/feel down: He's been feeling very down since his wife went away.

get someone down: All these problems are getting her down.

16. ) chosen or expected to do something if you are down for a particular job, it has been arranged that you will do it:

down for: I've got Tim down for babysitting on Monday night, and Jackie for Friday.

17. ) losing a game if a player or team is a certain number of points down, that is the number of points they need in order to reach their opponent's score:

At the end of the first half we were down three points.

down by: The Nuggets were down by 12 at the end of the third period.

18. ) when a computer is not working if a computer system is down, it is not working

19. ) already done used for saying how many things you have dealt with and how many more still need to be dealt with:

one/two, etc. down and one/two, etc. to go: Well, that's another class over. Two down and four to go.

20. ) paid now used for saying that you pay an amount of money immediately when you buy something and will pay the rest later:

Right now you can buy the VCR for no money down and six monthly installments of just $49.99.

be down on INFORMAL

to dislike or not approve of someone or something:

I always get low grades. Why is the teacher so down on me?

be down to someone BRITISH

if something is down to someone, they are responsible for dealing with it or making decisions about it

be down to your last something

used for saying that you only have a particular amount of money, food, fuel, etc. left:

We were down to our last traveler's check when we got back to the airport.

be down with something AMERICAN VERY INFORMAL

to accept or agree to something

down to

1. ) used for emphasizing that everything or everyone is included, even the smallest thing or the least important person:

Everything had been carefully planned, right down to the last detail.

The changes will affect everyone from the CEO down to entry-level employees.

2. ) used for saying how long someone's hair is or how long their clothes are:

I'm going to grow my hair down to my shoulders.

She wore a long skirt that came down to her ankles.

3. ) BRITISH used for saying that something is caused by something else:

put something down to something (=think that something is caused by something else): He's always been bad-tempered. I put it down to his unhappy childhood.

down with... SPOKEN

used for showing that you are opposed to a leader, government, etc. and you want to get rid of them. People shout this when they are protesting.

down

down 2 [ daun ] noun

1. ) uncount the small soft feathers of a bird

a ) soft short hairs:

the soft down of her cheek

2. ) downs plural areas of low hills covered with grass, especially in southern England

down

down 3 [ daun ] verb transitive

1. ) to drink or eat all of something quickly:

He downed his beer and left.

2. ) MAINLY JOURNALISM to make an aircraft crash to the ground by attacking it while it is flying:

The jet was downed by a surface-to-air missile.

a ) to make someone or something fall to the ground:

Lewis downed his opponent with a punch to the jaw.

3. ) MAINLY JOURNALISM to defeat a player or team