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

The global downshift in fertility rates has many causes, demographers say.

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UCLA’s basketball team might downshift its lineup in an attempt to hasten success.

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Middle East peace negotiator, said even getting to phase one — and the six-week pause in fighting — would bring about a “downshift in the escalation of the military campaign, fewer people dying.”

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Taken on its own, the downshift in growth is not necessarily worrisome, particularly given that the Federal Reserve has been trying to cool off the economy.

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The first two episodes set a speed that the middle hours downshift to the show's detriment.

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