download
Americanverb (used with object)
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downloads,
present (3rd person singular)
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downloaded,
past participle, past
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downloading
present participle
noun
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downloads
plural
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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
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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
-
had downloadedperfect
-
was downloadingprogressive
-
were downloadingprogressive
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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:
The former Nvidia chief advocated for an ecosystem that includes so-called open models, which users can download and customize to varying degrees.
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2026
Open-weight models, which anyone can download and run on his own hardware and strip of their safety controls, trail the closed frontier by mere months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026
So-called open AI models, which anyone can download and modify, are close behind closed models such as Claude or ChatGPT, which are available only through their owners' paid services.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
You don’t have to download an app or even swipe a credit card—the session is charged to whatever card GM has on file for you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
I download every Weaves song I can find.
From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon
These giant, warehouse-like buildings power virtually all our internet activity, from our web searches and emails to movie downloads and online banking.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
Younger audiophiles revived the medium from the dead starting in 2008 for many reasons, the simplest being that digital downloads don’t include eye-popping cover art.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026
The new model, called Muse Wonder, arrives as global downloads of the company’s personal-assistant agent have slowed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
The analysts said retailers and brands have spent years fighting for shelf space, advertising dominance, search results and app downloads.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
The officers were pursuing a Decker who was signing up for Bangers, the challenge for online feeds that has had a heartbreaking amount of daily hits and downloads the past four months.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
Chinese open-weight AI models, which can be downloaded free and partially modified, are also drawing the attention of European companies including Orange, Renault, Revolut and Siemens.
From Barron's ● Nov. 10, 2026
Oakley said when the contents of his phone were downloaded, material was found in a secure folder titled "visits", which also had messaging apps he had used to contact other defendants.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
He downloaded tide apps, readied himself with sandbags and felt prepared for this week’s return.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
The app, which offers $20 and $100 a month subscriptions, has been downloaded more than 10 million times, according to SensorTower, a market intelligence firm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
We’re only allowed to on Fridays, and I’ve never taken advantage of it before, but I do today—I just downloaded a White Stripes album onto my iPod.
From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon
For a passionate subset, the most anticipated moment comes when they’re downloading the full-cast audiobook, a fast-growing style of storytelling with music and sound effects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Hundreds of thousands responded by downloading the app; by Monday, MapQuest had climbed to No. 1 among navigation apps in Apple’s U.S.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
Holographic, or handwritten, wills are legal in about half of the states in the U.S, including Texas, but it’s not worth writing a will on the cheap or downloading one from the internet.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
The National Cyber Security Centre advises people to use the QR scanner that comes with their phone - usually the camera - rather than downloading a separate app.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Why spend all that time downloading a movie playing all over Chicago?
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
