downshift

[ doun-shift ]

verb (used without object)

1. to shift an automotive transmission or vehicle into a lower gear.
2. to become less active; slow down:

   The economy seems to be downshifting.

verb (used with object)

1. to shift (an automotive transmission or vehicle) into a lower gear.

noun

1. an act or instance of downshifting.

Word History and Origins

Origin of downshift¹

First recorded in 1950–55; down ¹ + shift

Example Sentences

With fewer gears, these downshifts can be jarring in other vehicles.

From Popular-Science

On schools: keep innovating, increase accountability, but downshift the emphasis on test scores.

From The Daily Beast

Howard Kurtz on the downshift—and how Cain is defying political gravity.

From The Daily Beast

And this downshift in career ambitions is just as true for the top dogs among us.

From The Daily Beast