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.
Her co-director, Margaret-Anne O'Donnell, believes the boom in musical theatre may be down to timing.
From BBC • May 24, 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
Opposing batters knew that almost everything Soriano threw would be down in the zone, whether it was a sinker, splitter or curveball.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026
Bitcoin may be down year to date, but it has held up well since the onset of the Iran conflict.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026
When the door opened below, and he saw the light, he could not imagine who might be down there, or what would happen to him, he had reached the end point of fear.
From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill
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.
