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 said it expects fiscal 2027 sales to be down 2% to 4% year over year, worse than the roughly 1.1% drop forecast by FactSet analysts.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
“So for us to be able to be down here, open it up for them, I don’t know how many there were here, but there were two flag football teams here as well.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
“It’s very humbling to be down there and try to bring some of our fellow soldiers, sailors back home,” said Chief Petty Officer Jason Friars, a U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
"Talk about it being on your racquet. That has to be down to the moment for Gauff," said Cavaday.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Percy and his allies had destroyed the worst Titan, Kronos, but even his remains might be down here somewhere—a billion angry Titan particles floating through the blood-colored clouds or lurking in that dark fog.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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.
