be down
Idioms-
Be depressed, in low spirits, as in During the winter months Sue's always down, but spring cheers her up . [ Colloquial ; mid-1800s]
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Be knowledgeable, canny, or sophisticated, as in He was really down with the new group . This usage probably originated among jazz musicians. [ Slang ; mid-1940s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It predicted that for the whole financial year up to the end of August, sales volumes would be down about one percent.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
By 2030 we’ll be down to about 10 open-air venues in the NFL.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
But while Platner may be down, he’s not out.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Nike said it expects revenue to be down “low- to mid-single-digits” though most of this year.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
He would be down there with Marlene, both of them surrounded by a large audience of admirers.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
