down payment

American  

Or down-payment

noun

down payments plural

1. an initial amount paid at the time of purchase, in installment buying, time sales, etc.

2. any initial or partial payment, gift, favor, or recompense, as to reduce one's indebtedness or express one's obligation or gratitude.

   This gift is just a down payment for all the favors I owe you.

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down payment British  

noun

1. the deposit paid on an item purchased on hire-purchase, mortgage, etc

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down payment Cultural  

1. A payment in part made at the time of purchase of a good, with the promise to make full payment later.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• down payments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of down payment

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

This is a down payment on expanding production so Americans never again read about dwindling weapons supplies days into a war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

You may, for instance, allocate money for education, mortgage, down payment, rent, and, of course, their children.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026

Next year, another may need help with a $100,000 down payment on a house, or $100 a week for therapy.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 19, 2026

Lease payments depend on a range of factors, including the car’s projected value at the end of the lease, a buyer’s down payment and credit score, interest rates and more.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026

Mom is working extra shifts because she is determined to start saving money so she can put a down payment on a car.

From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson

Related Words

• deposit