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.
The company previously said it would be wrapping on the launch of the z17 in the latest quarter, and infrastructure revenue would be down low-single digits for the year beginning this quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 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
If the move holds, the stock will be down a little more than 8% for the week, its worst weekly decline since April last year.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
“I’m not in trouble. Everything is fine. I just really need to be down there when he gets inside. Okay?”
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
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.
