downdraft

[ doun-draft, -drahft ]

noun

1. a downward current, as of air:

   a downdraft in a mine shaft.

2. a downward movement, as of the stock market.

downdraft

/ doun′drăft′ /

1. A downward moving current of air in a cumulonimbus cloud.
2. Compare updraft

Word History and Origins

Origin of downdraft¹

First recorded in 1780–90; down ¹ + draft

Example Sentences

When helicopters go over a ridge, sometimes they experience a sudden downdraft, where they drop 100 feet or so, which is very dangerous because they’re not very high to begin with.

From Nautilus

Also contributing to the crash, according to the NTSB, was Taquan’s decision to assign an inexperienced pilot to a destination prone to challenging downdrafts and changing wind conditions.

From ProPublica

A sudden downdraft coming over a peak can travel at 3,000 feet per minute and push a helicopter into a mountain.

From Outside Online

Then bitcoin got sucked into a downdraft when Tesla chief Musk suggested prices “seem high.”

From Quartz

Suddenly the little Cessna dropped, hitting a stomach-lurching downdraft, robbing it of the speed to clear the mountain wall directly ahead.

From Time

But the worst of the economic downdraft came in his first six months of office.

From The Daily Beast

Even accounting for the sickening downdraft of early 2009, the markets have done quite well during the Obama presidency.

From The Daily Beast