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.
Gasoline stocks were expected to be down by 300,000 barrels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 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
The people I spoke to are blindsided that this no longer appears to be the case and it will be down to individual platforms.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
Gregor didn’t see any rats around, but who knew what else might be down here looking for a meal.
From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins
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.
