downstairs

American  

[daun-stairz, daun-stairz] / ˈdaʊnˈstɛərz, ˈdaʊnˌstɛərz /

adverb

1. down the stairs.

2. to or on a lower floor.

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adjective

1. Also downstair pertaining to or situated on a lower floor, especially the ground floor.

noun

1. (used with a singular verb) the lower floor or floors of a building.

   The downstairs is being painted.

2. the stairway designated for use by people descending.

   Don't try to go up the downstairs.

downstairs British  

/ ˈdaʊnˈstɛəz /

adverb

1. down the stairs; to or on a lower floor

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noun

1. 1. a lower or ground floor

   2. ( as modifier )

      a downstairs room

2. informal the servants of a household collectively Compare upstairs

Etymology

Origin of downstairs

First recorded in 1590–1600; down ¹ + stair + -s ³

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Explanation

Something that's downstairs is located below you, down at least one flight of stairs on a lower floor. Your downstairs bathroom is the one on the first floor of your house. If your baseball breaks a neighbor's downstairs window, it means you hit the ball low, and when your friend says you can stay in his downstairs bedroom, you'll be sleeping on the lowest floor of his house. Downstairs is also an adverb, so you can run downstairs or trip and fall downstairs. Occasionally people also use it as a noun: "The downstairs is a mess, but we painted all of the rooms upstairs."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

downstairs

One neighbour said: "I heard shouting in the early hours but I just thought someone was having an argument, then I came downstairs and saw all the fire engines."

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Leave your phone downstairs: "Use something else as an alarm clock," suggested Neil.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

The private practice she started in 2022 in a small suite now occupies an entire floor and a downstairs reception area, with satellite offices in Chino and downtown Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

At the Spanish Cultural Center, a guard pointed me downstairs to the Calmécac, a school for Aztec nobility.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Probably because she was always downstairs, listening to Beethoven in music appreciation, reading in the wing-backed chairs, attending bingo and trivia and the daily news briefings.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

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