any of various ranges of low chalk hills in S England, esp the South Downs in Sussex
a roadstead off the SE coast of Kent, protected by the Goodwin Sands
Also called: downland. rolling upland, esp in the chalk areas of S Britain, characterized by lack of trees and used mainly as pasture
a flat grassy area, not necessarily of uplands
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Perry, 68, chose to set her novel in the South Downs where she has lived with her husband, artist and writer Grayson Perry, for more than 25 years.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
George Downs is a video correspondent based in London covering the future of transport and mobility for The Wall Street Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
She was 22 when she showed up at Churchill Downs.
From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2026
For the most part since, including during an interview Thursday morning at his barn at Churchill Downs, he politely has declined to discuss his wife, saying he just doesn’t feel comfortable.
From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2026
Certainly the distances had now all become hazy and deceptive, but there could be no doubt that the Downs were coming to an end.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
