download

American  

[doun-lohd] / ˈdaʊnˌloʊd /

verb (used with object)

downloads, present (3rd person singular) downloaded, past participle, past downloading present participle

1. to transfer (software, data, character sets, etc.) from a distant to a nearby computer, from a larger to a smaller computer, or from a computer to a peripheral device.

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noun

downloads plural

1. software, data, etc., that has been downloaded.

   the best free music downloads.

2. the act or process of downloading.

download British  

/ ˈdaʊnˌləʊd /

verb

1. to copy or transfer (data or a program) into the memory of one computer system from a larger one

2. to broadcast specialist programmes, for such groups as doctors, outside normal broadcasting hours. They are often recorded on video tapes and viewed later Compare upload

3. to delegate or assign (work, responsibilities, costs, etc) to a someone at a lower level of an organization; off-load

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noun

1. a file transferred onto a computer from another computer or the internet

download Scientific  

/ doun′lōd′ /

1. To transfer data or programs from a server or host computer to one's own computer or digital device.

2. Compare upload

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• downloadable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• downloads
  plural

Participles

• downloading
  present
• downloaded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• download
  simple
• downloads
  simple
• have downloaded
  perfect
• has downloaded
  perfect
• am downloading
  progressive
• are downloading
  progressive
• is downloading
  progressive
• have been downloading
  perfect progressive
• has been downloading
  perfect progressive

Past

• downloaded
  simple
• had downloaded
  perfect
• was downloading
  progressive
• were downloading
  progressive
• had been downloading
  perfect progressive

Future

• will download
  simple
• will have downloaded
  perfect
• will be downloading
  progressive
• will have been downloading
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of download

down ¹ + load

Explanation

When you've got files on one computer that you need to transfer onto another, you'll need to download or copy the data onto a portable drive to move it. Back before the internet brought the world to our fingers, the word download was used mainly to describe the process of copying files or data from one computer to another. But these days, you can download or copy, just about anything from the internet — from music to movies to books. Another thing you can download, if you aren't careful, is a virus, so be wary before you go transferring all kinds of files to your computer.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

download downloads downloaded downloading

Clubs now use digital systems where fans download tickets to their phones.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Moonshot released Kimi K3 this past week and said it planned to make it fully open-source later this month, meaning people will be generally free to download and adapt it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

That means “anyone, anywhere, can download it and build on top of it for free,” Mark Malek, CIO of Siebert Financial told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

There will be a box at some stores, yes, but it contains a download code, not a disc.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

I enter the app store and I download Last Friend.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

The FT’s article reports that the Chinese government discussed restricting the transfer of important data abroad and limiting the downloads of models by foreign users.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

In May, the number of downloads was about 59,729.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

Other simultaneous downloads swept up episodes of “The Big Bang Theory” and “Ted Lasso” out of order, though a putative human user would probably have downloaded them sequentially.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

These regulations were followed by a spike in downloads of VPNs and calls from some, including the Children's Commissioner, for age checks to restrict them for young people.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

On her lunch break, Irene downloads the Nirvana album for herself.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

Moonshot AI will release Kimi K3 as an open-source model on 27 July, making it the first of its scale that can be freely downloaded and customised by developers and members of the public.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

It has been downloaded more than a billion times across iOS and Android devices, with millions still logging on each day.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

I downloaded an app that mapped out my route and where I should charge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

That means it can be downloaded and run on hardware operated by anybody and can be modified and used without supervision.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

On the drive home, I downloaded the main theme song from the movie and made it my phone’s ringtone.

From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks

Eligible participants can add a driver’s license by downloading the DMV Wallet app or through Apple, Google and Samsung wallet apps and following the prompts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

It also argued that customers were in no way forced to use its products on Android and that downloading competing apps was just a tap away.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

Williams, the mother of two, is merely the latest ultra-successful sports icon to decide that investor meetings, casual golf and downloading episodes of “Bluey” wasn’t how she wanted to spend her 40s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

But Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has said it wants age verification to be handled on a device level, so underage children would be blocked from downloading certain apps.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

In seconds, photos started downloading to my phone.

From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green

Related Words

• load
• log in