bring down

British  

verb

1. to cause to fall

   the fighter aircraft brought the enemy down

   the ministers agreed to bring down the price of oil

2. slang (usually passive) to cause to be elated and then suddenly depressed, as from using drugs

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bring down Idioms  

1. Cause to fall, collapse, or die. For example, The pilot won a medal for bringing down enemy aircraft , or The bill's defeat was sure to bring down the party . [c. 1300]

2. Cause a punishment or judgment, as in The bomb threats brought down the public's wrath on the terrorists [Mid-1600s]

3. Reduce, lower, as in I won't buy it till they bring down the price , or He refused to bring himself down to their level . This usage may be literal, as in the first example, or figurative, as in the second. [First half of 1500s]

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Example Sentences

What it hadn’t done until Friday was bring down any U.S. and Israeli warplanes over its territory.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

It's an expensive golden bullet to bring down a relatively cheap fibreglass drone.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Judges are still reluctant to bring down the hammer for AI-fabrications if lawyers acknowledge their fault and “throw themselves on the mercy of the court,” Volokh says.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

She was elected in October on her promise to revitalize Japan’s sclerotic economy and to bring down food inflation, which eclipsed 7% last year.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

Late the next day we had got down there and were creeping along that same snow-slope, very softly, not sneezing, lest we bring down the avalanche.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin