Dictionary.com
definitions

down-and-out

[doun-uh nd-out, -uh n]
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR down-and-out ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

without any money, or means of support, or prospects; destitute; penniless.
without physical strength or stamina; disabled; incapacitated.
too physically weakened by repeated defeats to qualify as a competent professional boxer.

noun

Also down-and-out·er. a person who is down-and-out.

RELATED CONTENT

Misogyny, Sexism, And Taking Down The Patriarchy
With the recent #MeToo and Times Up movements, equality and the empowerment of women have become household conversations around the world. Everyone from your next-door neighbor to your favorite high-school teacher have likely joined the discussion, using a brand new set of vocabulary including the words misogyny and sexism. While these two terms may seem similar, there are actually several differences that make them stand …
READ MORE
Exoplanets And Planets: The Truth Is Out There
Exoplanets are in the news, and not just because Google did a doodle on them, either. On February 22, 2017, news of the discovery of seven new exoplanets was announced by NASA. This may be a new word for you non-NASA geeks out there. Let’s examine the difference between planets and exoplanets. A planet is sometimes also called a major planet. It’s any of the …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

needy, penniless, impoverished, destitute, poverty-stricken, down, bad, pensive, somber, gloomy, wistful, trite, mournful, sorrowful, grim, poor, underprivileged, disadvantaged, indigent, meager

Origin of down-and-out

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

down

1
[doun]

adverb

from higher to lower; in descending direction or order; toward, into, or in a lower position: to come down the ladder.
on or to the ground, floor, or bottom: He fell down.
to or in a sitting or lying position.
to or in a position, area, or district considered lower, especially from a geographical or cartographic standpoint, as to the south, a business district, etc.: We drove from San Francisco down to Los Angeles.
to or at a lower value or rate.
to a lesser pitch or volume: Turn down the radio.
in or to a calmer, less active, or less prominent state: The wind died down.
from an earlier to a later time: from the 17th century down to the present.
from a greater to a lesser strength, amount, etc.: to water down liquor.
in an attitude of earnest application: to get down to work.
on paper or in a book: Write down the address.
in cash at the time of purchase; at once: We paid $50 down and $20 a month.
to the point of defeat, submission, inactivity, etc.: They shouted down the opposition.
in or into a fixed or supine position: They tied down the struggling animal.
to the source or actual position: The dogs tracked down the bear.
into a condition of ill health: He's come down with a cold.
in or into a lower status or condition: kept down by lack of education.
Nautical. toward the lee side, so as to turn a vessel to windward: Put the helm down!
Slang. on toast (as used in ordering a sandwich at a lunch counter or restaurant): Give me a tuna down.

preposition

in a descending or more remote direction or place on, over, or along: They ran off down the street.

adjective

downward; going or directed downward: the down escalator.
being at a low position or on the ground, floor, or bottom.
toward the south, a business district, etc.
associated with or serving traffic, transportation, or the like, directed toward the south, a business district, etc.: the down platform.
downcast; depressed; dejected: You seem very down today.
ailing, especially, sick and bedridden: He's been down with a bad cold.
being the portion of the full price, as of an article bought on the installment plan, that is paid at the time of purchase or delivery: a payment of $200 down.
Football. (of the ball) not in play.
Slang.
  1. agreeing, supporting, or understanding: I'm totally down with that. He's down with those kids.
  2. sophisticated or hip; cool: That music is down.
behind an opponent or opponents in points, games, etc.: The team won the pennant despite having been down three games in the final week of play.
Baseball. out.
losing or having lost the amount indicated, especially at gambling: After an hour at poker, he was down $10.
having placed one's bet: Are you down for the fourth race?
finished, done, considered, or taken care of: five down and one to go.
out of order: The computer has been down all day.

noun

a downward movement; descent.
a turn for the worse; reverse: The business cycle experienced a sudden down.
Football.
  1. one of a series of four plays during which a team must advance the ball at least 10 yards (9 meters) to keep possession of it.
  2. the declaring of the ball as down or out of play, or the play immediately preceding this.
Slang. an order of toast at a lunch counter or restaurant.
Slang. downer(defs 1a, b).

verb (used with object)

to put, knock, or throw down; subdue: He downed his opponent in the third round.
to drink down, especially quickly or in one gulp: to down a tankard of ale.
Informal. to defeat in a game or contest: The Mets downed the Dodgers in today's game.
to cause to fall from a height, especially by shooting: Antiaircraft guns downed ten bombers.

verb (used without object)

to go down; fall.

interjection

(used as a command to a dog to stop attacking, to stop jumping on someone, to get off a couch or chair, etc.): Down, Rover!
(used as a command or warning to duck, take cover, or the like): Down! They're starting to shoot!

Origin of down

1
before 1100; Middle English doune, Old English dūne, aphetic variant of adūne for of dūne off (the) hill; see a-2, down3
Related formsun·downed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for down and out

Down

1

noun

a district of SE Northern Ireland, in Co Down. Pop: 65 195 (2003 est). Area: 649 sq km (250 sq miles)
a historical county of SE Northern Ireland, on the Irish Sea: generally hilly, rising to the Mountains of Mourne: in 1973 it was replaced for administrative purposes by the districts of Ards, Banbridge, Castlereagh, Down, Newry and Mourne, North Down, and part of Lisburn. Area: 2466 sq km (952 sq miles)

Down

2

noun

any of various lowland breeds of sheep, typically of stocky build and having dense close wool, originating from various parts of southern England, such as Oxford, Hampshire, etcSee also Dorset Down
another name for Hampshire Down

down-and-out

adjective

without any means of livelihood; impoverished and, often, socially outcast

noun

a person who is destitute and, often, homeless; a social outcast or derelict

down

1

preposition

used to indicate movement from a higher to a lower positionthey went down the mountain
at a lower or further level or position on, in, or alonghe ran down the street

adverb

downwards; at or to a lower level or positiondon't fall down
(particle) used with many verbs when the result of the verb's action is to lower or destroy its objectpull down; knock down; bring down
(particle) used with several verbs to indicate intensity or completioncalm down
immediatelycash down
on paperwrite this down
arranged; scheduledthe meeting is down for next week
in a helpless positionthey had him down on the ground
  1. away from a more important placedown from London
  2. away from a more northerly placedown from Scotland
  3. (of a member of some British universities) away from the university; on vacation
  4. in a particular part of a countrydown south
nautical (of a helm) having the rudder to windward
reduced to a state of lack or wantdown to the last pound
lacking a specified amountat the end of the day the cashier was ten pounds down
lower in pricebacon is down
including all intermediate terms, grades, people, etcfrom managing director down to tea-lady
from an earlier to a later timethe heirloom was handed down
to a finer or more concentrated stateto grind down; boil down
sport being a specified number of points, goals, etc behind another competitor, team, etcsix goals down
(of a person) being inactive, owing to illnessdown with flu
(functioning as imperative) (to dogs)down Rover!
down with (functioning as imperative) wanting the end of somebody or somethingdown with the king!
get down on something Australian and NZ to procure something, esp in advance of needs or in anticipation of someone else

adjective

(postpositive) depressed or miserable
(prenominal) of or relating to a train or trains from a more important place or one regarded as higherthe down line
(postpositive) (of a device, machine, etc, esp a computer) temporarily out of action
made in casha down payment
down to the responsibility or fault ofthis defeat was down to me
down with informal
  1. having a good understanding ofdown with computers
  2. in agreement withcompletely down with that idea
  3. enjoying mutual friendship and respect withdown with the kids

verb

(tr) to knock, push or pull down
(intr) to go or come down
(tr) informal to drink, esp quicklyhe downed three gins
(tr) to bring (someone) down, esp by tackling

noun

American football one of a maximum of four consecutive attempts by one team to advance the ball a total of at least ten yards
a descent; downward movement
a lowering or a poor period (esp in the phrase ups and downs)
have a down on informal to bear ill will towards (someone or something)

Word Origin for down

Old English dūne, short for adūne, variant of of dūne, literally: from the hill, from of, off + dūn hill; see down 3

down

2

noun

the soft fine feathers with free barbs that cover the body of a bird and prevent loss of heat. In the adult they lie beneath and between the contour feathers
another name for eiderdown (def. 1)
botany a fine coating of soft hairs, as on certain leaves, fruits, and seeds
any growth or coating of soft fine hair, such as that on the human face

Word Origin for down

C14: of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse dūnn

down

3

noun

archaic a hill, esp a sand duneSee also downs (def. 1), Downs (def. 1)

Word Origin for down

Old English dūn; related to Old Frisian dūne, Old Saxon dūna hill, Old Irish dūn fortress, Greek this sandbank; see dune, town
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for down and out

down

adv.

late Old English shortened form of Old English ofdune "downwards," from dune "from the hill," dative of dun "hill" (see down (n.2)). A sense development peculiar to English.

Used as a preposition since c.1500. Sense of "depressed mentally" is attested from c.1600. Slang sense of "aware, wide awake" is attested from 1812. Computer crash sense is from 1965. As a preposition from late 14c.; as an adjective from 1560s. Down-and-out is from 1889, American English, from situation of a beaten prizefighter. Down home (adj.) is 1931, American English; down the hatch as a toast is from 1931; down to the wire is 1901, from horse-racing. Down time is from 1952. Down under "Australia and New Zealand" attested from 1886; Down East "Maine" is from 1825.

down

n.1

"soft feathers," late 14c., from Old Norse dunn, perhaps ultimately from PIE root *dheu- (1) "to fly about (like dust), to rise in a cloud."

down

n.2

Old English dun "down, moor; height, hill, mountain," from Proto-Germanic *dunaz- (cf. Middle Dutch dunen "sandy hill," Dutch duin, "probably a pre-insular loan-word from Celtic" [Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names], in other words, borrowed at a very early period, before the Anglo-Saxon migration.

The non-English Germanic words tend to mean "dune, sand bank" (cf. dune), while the Celtic cognates tend to mean "hill, citadel" (cf. Old Irish dun "hill, hill fort;" Welsh din "fortress, hill fort;" and second element in place names London, Verdun, etc.).

From PIE root *dheue- "to close, finish, come full circle." Meaning "elevated rolling grassland" is from c.1300. German Düne, French dune, Italian, Spanish duna are said to be loan-words from Dutch.

down

v.

1560s, from down (adv.). Related: Downed; downing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with down and out

down and out

Lacking funds or prospects; destitute, penniless. For example, After losing his job, car, and home, he was completely down and out. This term probably originated in boxing, where it alludes to the fighter who is knocked down and stays down for a given time, thereby losing the bout. [c. 1900] Also see down for the count.

down

In addition to the idioms beginning with down

  • down and dirty
  • down and out
  • down cold, have
  • down for the count
  • down in the dumps
  • down on
  • down one's alley
  • down one's neck
  • down one's nose
  • down on one's luck
  • down someone's throat
  • down the drain
  • down the hatch
  • down the line
  • down the pike
  • down the road
  • down the tubes
  • down to
  • down to earth
  • down to size
  • down to the ground
  • down to the wire
  • down with

also see:

  • back down
  • batten down the hatches
  • bear down
  • beat down
  • be down
  • belt down
  • bog down
  • boil down to
  • break down
  • breathe down one's neck
  • bring down
  • bring down the house
  • buckle down
  • build down
  • burn down
  • call down
  • cast down
  • caught with one's pants down
  • chow down
  • clamp down
  • close down
  • come down
  • come down on
  • come down to
  • come down with
  • cool down
  • cool off (down)
  • count down
  • crack down
  • cut down
  • deep down
  • die away (down)
  • dig down
  • draw down
  • dressing down
  • face down
  • fall down
  • flag down to
  • get down to brass tacks
  • go down (downhill)
  • go down the line
  • hand down
  • hands down
  • hold down
  • it's all downhill
  • jump down someone's throat
  • keep down
  • knock back (down)
  • knock down with a feather
  • knuckle down
  • lay down
  • lay down the law
  • lead down the garden path
  • let down easy
  • let one's hair down
  • let someone down
  • let the side down
  • lie down (on the job)
  • live down
  • look down on
  • lowdown, get the
  • mark down
  • mow down
  • nail down
  • pin down
  • pipe down
  • play down
  • plunk down
  • pull down
  • put down
  • put down roots
  • put one's foot down
  • ram down someone's throat
  • ring down the curtain
  • rub down
  • run down
  • scale down
  • sell down the river
  • send down
  • set down
  • settle down
  • shake down
  • shoot down
  • shout down
  • shut down
  • simmer down
  • sit down
  • slap down
  • slow down
  • splash down
  • stand down
  • stare down
  • step down
  • strike down
  • suit down to the ground
  • take down
  • take down a notch
  • take lying down
  • talk down to
  • tear down
  • the lowdown on
  • throw down the gauntlet
  • thumbs up (down)
  • tie down
  • tone down
  • touch down
  • track down
  • trade down
  • turn down
  • turn upside down
  • ups and downs
  • vote down
  • wash down
  • water down
  • wear down
  • weigh down
  • when it comes (down) to
  • when the chips are down
  • wind down
  • write down
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.