down under

American  

Or Down Under

noun

1. Australia or New Zealand.

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adverb

1. in, to, or into Australia or New Zealand.

down under British  

noun

1. Australia or New Zealand

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adverb

1. in or to Australia or New Zealand

Etymology

Origin of down under

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Gawker was forced to shut down under the weight of lawsuits, Vice Media filed for bankruptcy and is a shadow of itself, and BuzzFeed now warns it could go out of business entirely this year.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026

Attention focused on the extraordinary fees—reportedly upward of $250,000 per head—that some stranded expats paid to flee the danger once the Dubai airport, among the world’s busiest until a week ago, shut down under fire.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

"A snowmobile would quickly break down under these conditions," the 55-year-old Dane said.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

After the criticism of their preparation down under, England had only two training sessions in Colombo – this time no fault of their own because of the tight turnaround.

From BBC • Jan. 22, 2026

He crawled down under the bed for something.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers