download

American  

[doun-lohd] / ˈdaʊnˌloʊd /

verb (used with object)

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.

---

noun

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

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

• downloadable adjective

Etymology

Origin of download

down ¹ + load

Example Sentences

The move will mean owners of older Kindles, including its earliest models such as the Kindle Touch and some Kindle Fire tablets, will be unable to download new e-books.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

It’s now available for download in the U.S.,

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

It may set an example for other strongmen too: Max is now available for download in dozens of countries allied with Moscow.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

"So when you download software, when an SME uses the cloud, when a freelancer sells a design service abroad, there are no taxes at the border," she said.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

It took him all night to download the movie Phantom Menace, which he’d already seen in a theater.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

Related Words

• load
• log in