Usage
What else does down-low mean? Content warning: the following content includes references to sexual activity. Something on the down-low is secret or private. Down-low can also specifically refer to Black men who secretly have sex.
Etymology
Origin of down-low
First recorded in 1990-95; down 1 ( def. ) + low 1 ( def. )
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.
If this is war, it is one that is being conducted on the down-low.
From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026
That is why NAR apostles and prophets sometimes stay on the down-low — by foregoing churchy garb and open use of their titles, for instance.
From Salon • Jun. 17, 2023
Because people could relate to the different characters: the tough guys, the weak guys, the down-low guys, all of that.
From New York Times • Jun. 13, 2022
Hosts Travis Mills and Rahne Jones help people whose romantic partners are keeping them on the down-low and not introducing them to family and friends in this reality series.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2022
He knows jes' whar dat track is,—de down-low track, I means, whar de 'scapin' from de debbil comes good to dese yere people when dey gits free.
From The Harvest of Years by Ewell, Martha Lewis Beckwith
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.
