download

American  

[daun-lohd] / ˈdaʊnˌloʊd /

verb (used with object)

• downloads,
  present (3rd person singular)
• downloaded,
  past participle,  past
• downloading
  present participle

1. to transfer (software, data, character sets, etc.) from a distant to a nearby computer, from a larger to a smaller computer, or from a computer to a peripheral device.

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noun

• downloads
  plural

1. software, data, etc., that has been downloaded.

   the best free music downloads.

2. the act or process of downloading.

download British  

/ ˈdaʊnˌləʊd /

verb

1. to copy or transfer (data or a program) into the memory of one computer system from a larger one

2. to broadcast specialist programmes, for such groups as doctors, outside normal broadcasting hours. They are often recorded on video tapes and viewed later Compare upload

3. to delegate or assign (work, responsibilities, costs, etc) to a someone at a lower level of an organization; off-load

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noun

1. a file transferred onto a computer from another computer or the internet

download Scientific  

/ doun′lōd′ /

1. To transfer data or programs from a server or host computer to one's own computer or digital device.

2. Compare upload

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• downloadable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• downloads
  plural

Participles

• downloading
  present
• downloaded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• download
  simple
• downloads
  simple
• have downloaded
  perfect
• has downloaded
  perfect
• am downloading
  progressive
• are downloading
  progressive
• is downloading
  progressive
• have been downloading
  perfect progressive
• has been downloading
  perfect progressive

Past

• downloaded
  simple
• had downloaded
  perfect
• was downloading
  progressive
• were downloading
  progressive
• had been downloading
  perfect progressive

Future

• will download
  simple
• will have downloaded
  perfect
• will be downloading
  progressive
• will have been downloading
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of download

down ¹ + load

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Explanation

When you've got files on one computer that you need to transfer onto another, you'll need to download or copy the data onto a portable drive to move it. Back before the internet brought the world to our fingers, the word download was used mainly to describe the process of copying files or data from one computer to another. But these days, you can download or copy, just about anything from the internet — from music to movies to books. Another thing you can download, if you aren't careful, is a virus, so be wary before you go transferring all kinds of files to your computer.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

download downloads downloaded downloading

Physical copies of the game will contain a code for a digital download for the game inside a box, rather than a disc.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

The new model lets users download and customise the parameters, or "weights", that determine how it computes to their own servers.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

He thinks Xiaowei has a structural advantage over Muse as it sits within WeChat, China’s most-used app, while Muse is a standalone download.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

If I want to watch them in the right order, I have to download an app called Stardust TV.

From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2026

“But I can help you find anything. Well, what’s left of it. Ben salvaged what he could to the download in your program.”

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Meta’s Muse app went viral, with more than five million downloads thus far, according to Sensor Tower data.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

According to a Thursday report from Sensor Tower, Muse has accumulated over 3.4 million downloads across the U.S. and Canada since its Sept. 8 launch.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026

Muse has amassed more than 2.5 million U.S. downloads since launching Sept. 8, according to data from Sensor Tower.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

The regulator said that while the company had followed all the correct procedures it had now "obtained the flight data recording downloads as well as other additional requirements" for further analysis.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

“I have a present for you, Petra. I couldn’t get your curriculum approved, but since you’re technically old enough for more downloads, and these are off the record...”

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

But I hadn’t downloaded the Tesla app to access the magic adapter the Kia needed to charge there.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

I downloaded the app and began testing twice daily as recommended.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026

But the decision "cannot remove copies already downloaded or prevent people from continuing to use them", said Poe Zhao, founder of the analysis publication Hello China Tech.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Their weights, or the numeral parameters that the model learns throughout the training process, can be downloaded directly and run locally.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

I was listening to Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely,” which I’d downloaded the night before.

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

In the UK, downloading or streaming pirated content can be a crime.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

Word of warning: It’s not worth writing a will on the cheap or downloading one from the Internet.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

Hundreds of thousands responded by downloading the app; by Monday, MapQuest had climbed to No. 1 among navigation apps in Apple’s U.S.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

Eligible participants can add a driver’s license by downloading the DMV Wallet app or through Apple, Google and Samsung wallet apps and following the prompts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

The problem for me was that the cell service on my BlackBerry had somehow disconnected, never sending out my messages or downloading updates from others.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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Related Words

• load
• log in

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