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.
Bath & Body Works reiterated its fiscal-year 2026 net sales guidance to be down 2.5% to 4.5%.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
Its website can no longer be accessed in the country and also appears to be down elsewhere.
From BBC • May 23, 2026
Progress may be down, but it’s not out.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
“To give you some perspective, in this kind of scenario, you would expect stock markets to be down 35%, it’s pretty severe,” she said.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
Helene will be down in the dunes, where we have always mourned our dead.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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.
