download
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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software, data, etc., that has been downloaded.
the best free music downloads.
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the act or process of downloading.
verb
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to copy or transfer (data or a program) into the memory of one computer system from a larger one
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to broadcast specialist programmes, for such groups as doctors, outside normal broadcasting hours. They are often recorded on video tapes and viewed later Compare upload
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to delegate or assign (work, responsibilities, costs, etc) to a someone at a lower level of an organization; off-load
noun
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To transfer data or programs from a server or host computer to one's own computer or digital device.
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Compare upload
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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downloadsimple
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downloadssimple
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have downloadedperfect
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has downloadedperfect
-
am downloadingprogressive
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are downloadingprogressive
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is downloadingprogressive
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have been downloadingperfect progressive
-
has been downloadingperfect progressive
Past
-
downloadedsimple
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had downloadedperfect
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was downloadingprogressive
-
were downloadingprogressive
-
had been downloadingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of download
Explanation
When you've got files on one computer that you need to transfer onto another, you'll need to download or copy the data onto a portable drive to move it. Back before the internet brought the world to our fingers, the word download was used mainly to describe the process of copying files or data from one computer to another. But these days, you can download or copy, just about anything from the internet — from music to movies to books. Another thing you can download, if you aren't careful, is a virus, so be wary before you go transferring all kinds of files to your computer.
Vocabulary lists containing download
Computer Science and Technology - Introductory
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Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Computer Science and Technology - 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.
See Examples For:
There will be a box at some stores, yes, but it contains a download code, not a disc.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Many leading Chinese models are open-source, meaning anyone around the globe can download them without charge and generally use them with few restrictions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
The French company develops so-called open models, which allow users to download and modify them.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
On some days, I’d like the option of putting a quarter in a meter rather than having to download a sixth parking app.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Felix clicked download, and a few seconds later, a giant dollar sign spun on the screen with the words Penny Doubled Challenge pulsing beneath.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
According to Similarweb, a digital market intelligence company, downloads of the app began to rise from just over 14,000 last October to 33,710 in November.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Some downloads, it says, were coordinated among several Meta IP addresses, all based on the same algorithmic keywords and occurring simultaneously, suggesting that the infringements “took place within Meta’s walls.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
These regulations were followed by a spike in downloads of VPNs and calls from some, including the Children's Commissioner, for age checks to restrict them for young people.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
We evaluated streaming performance and P2P behavior by running downloads and streaming concurrently to observe throttling and buffering.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
Elsie not only downloads the app that lets me access the othernet, she even creates a profile for me on Eurgphmthilthmsphlthm, the leading social media site in the supernatural world.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
It has been downloaded more than a billion times across iOS and Android devices, with millions still logging on each day.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
I downloaded an app that mapped out my route and where I should charge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Digital tickets must be downloaded and activated before boarding the train to be valid.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
It says it discovered that 47 IP addresses owned by Meta — that is, digital identifiers of internet accounts — had downloaded its movies without permission.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
Not trusting my instincts any further, I loaded up a piece of high-end avatar dance software called Travoltra, which I’d downloaded and tested earlier that evening.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Meta, in its defense filings, says Strike 3 has offered no proof that Meta, as a corporation, was responsible for the downloading.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
Security experts believe manufacturers are paid to add the malware, but many people are tricked into downloading it onto their phones and computers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
Recently, both Amazon’s and Google’s TV apparatuses have cracked down on sideloading—the practice of downloading apps from third-party providers—by exclusively permitting downloads from their parent companies’ authorized app stores.
From Slate ● May 3, 2026
The click-wheel design distinguished the device and introduced the iTunes library, paving the way for legal digital music downloading to hit the mainstream.
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2026
What if he’s staring at me through his own hack, downloading all of my info?
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
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.
