Webster's English Dictionary

Enter the word to look up:

down

1. down \'dau.n\ n [ME doun hill, fr. OE du-n; akin to ON du-nn down of 
   fe]athers archaic  1a: HILL  1b: DUNE  2: an undulating usu. treeless 
   upland with sparse soil - usu. used in pl.  often cap  3: a sheep of any 
   breed originating in the downs of southern England 
2. down av [ME doun, fr. OE du-ne, short for adu-ne, of du-n]e, fr. a- (fr. 
   of), of off, from + du-ne, dat. of du-n hill 1a1: toward or in a lower 
   physical position  1a2: to a lying or sitting position  1a3: toward or to 
   the ground, floor, or bottom  1b: on the spot : in cash {paid $10 ~}  1c: 
   on paper {put ~ what he says}  1d: so as to overtake or find the source of 
   {tracked the rumor ~> 1e: FULLY, COMPLETELY  2: in a direction that is the 
   opposite of up : as  2a: toward or in the south  2b: toward or in the 
   center of a city  2c: away from a city or other center of activity  3: to 
   or toward a lower position in a series  4: to or in a lower or worse 
   condition or status  5: from a past time {heirlooms handed ~}  6: to or in 
   a state of less activity, excitement, or prominence  7: from a thinner to a 
   thicker consistency 
3. down aj 1a1: occupying a low position; specif : lying on the ground {@ 
   timber} 1a2: directed or going downward  1b: lower in price  1c: not being 
   in play in football because of wholly stopped progress or be cause the 
   officials stop the play {a ~ ball} 1d: trailing an opponent (as in points 
   scored)  2a: being in a state of reduced or low activity  2b1: DEPRESSED, 
   DEJECTED  2b2: SICK {~ with flu}  2b3: having a low opinion or dislike {~ 
   on him}  3: FINISHED, DONE {eight ~ and two to go}  4: being the part of a 
   price paid at the time of purchase or delivery {a  ~ payment}
4. down pp : down along, through, toward, in, into, or on 
5. down n 1: DESCENT, DEPRESSION  2a: an instance of putting down  2b1: the 
   termination of an attempt to advance a football on the referee's s ignal 
   2b2: a complete play to advance the ball or its duration  3: DISLIKE, 
   GRUDGE 
6. down vt : to cause to go or come down to go down 
7. down n [ME doun, fr. ON du-nn] 1: a covering of soft fluffy feathers  2: 
   something soft and fluffy like down