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.
On Friday, Clear’s stock tumbled as much as 12% intraday, before bouncing slightly to be down 10.7% in recent afternoon trading.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026
The company guided for fiscal 2026 net sales to be down 1% to up 1%, and for fiscal-year earnings of 28 cents to 38 cents a share.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
It may be down to reports that the Pentagon is looking at sending up to 10,000 additional troops External link to the Middle East.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
EV sales are still expected to be down 28% compared to a year earlier, according to the research firm Cox Automotive.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026
“Mama,” I said, “I wouldn’t be down in the bottoms very long—not over a couple of hours. I just want to see how those monkeys made out in the storm.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
