downstairs

American  

[doun-stairz, doun-stairz] / ˈdaʊnˈstɛərz, ˈdaʊnˌstɛərz /

adverb

1. down the stairs.

2. to or on a lower floor.

---

adjective

1. Also downstair pertaining to or situated on a lower floor, especially the ground floor.

noun

1. (used with a singular verb) the lower floor or floors of a building.

   The downstairs is being painted.

2. the stairway designated for use by people descending.

   Don't try to go up the downstairs.

downstairs British  

/ ˈdaʊnˈstɛəz /

adverb

1. down the stairs; to or on a lower floor

---

noun

1. 1. a lower or ground floor

   2. ( as modifier )

      a downstairs room

2. informal the servants of a household collectively Compare upstairs

Etymology

Origin of downstairs

First recorded in 1590–1600; down ¹ + stair + -s ³

Explanation

Something that's downstairs is located below you, down at least one flight of stairs on a lower floor. Your downstairs bathroom is the one on the first floor of your house. If your baseball breaks a neighbor's downstairs window, it means you hit the ball low, and when your friend says you can stay in his downstairs bedroom, you'll be sleeping on the lowest floor of his house. Downstairs is also an adverb, so you can run downstairs or trip and fall downstairs. Occasionally people also use it as a noun: "The downstairs is a mess, but we painted all of the rooms upstairs."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

downstairs

At the Spanish Cultural Center, a guard pointed me downstairs to the Calmécac, a school for Aztec nobility.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

But when it intensified, he got out of bed and ran downstairs.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Pro tip: In the months leading up to the move, I also saved boxes from deliveries I received, instead of hauling them downstairs to the recycling bin.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

When I moved into my Leimert Park apartment about two years ago, an older woman rushed downstairs to greet me.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Probably because she was always downstairs, listening to Beethoven in music appreciation, reading in the wing-backed chairs, attending bingo and trivia and the daily news briefings.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Related Words

• basement
• canvas
• carpet
• deck
• flooring
• ground
• mat
• rug
• stage