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.
"There are months where I will be down in the dumps, and I'll post just the bare minimum. I can't compete with robots."
From BBC
Their Hulu series “Deli Boys” was a comedy after all, maybe they’d be down to lean into play.
From Los Angeles Times
If this long winless streak is not down to ability, it must be down to mentality.
From BBC
What’s Next: Nike has refrained for several quarters from providing full-year guidance, but it expects third-quarter revenue to be down by a low single-digit percentage.
From Barron's
Nike expects third-quarter revenue to be down by a low single-digit percentage.
From Barron's
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.
