downbeat
Americannoun
-
the downward stroke of a conductor's arm or baton indicating the first or accented beat of a measure.
-
the first beat of a measure.
adjective
noun
adjective
-
informal depressed; gloomy
-
informal relaxed; unemphatic
Etymology
Origin of downbeat
Vocabulary lists containing downbeat
Music - Middle School
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Music - High School
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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.
A quarterly survey of U.S. professionals on LinkedIn shows that workers have had a downbeat assessment of the labor market for the past year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
In an interview, Hsu said that pervasive, downbeat social-media feeds have probably contributed to darker survey results over the past five years.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
They reacted by sending the University of Michigan’s early-April Index of Consumer Sentiment sliding to a record low, with every demographic cohort of age, income, and political preference sounding downbeat.
From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026
Also on the downbeat side, provisions for credit losses rose 9.8% to $315 million, above expectations of $150.4 million.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
In addition to the downbeat and meter, you will also need to determine whether the first note of the song begins directly on the downbeat or on a pickup.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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.
