downstream
Americanadverb
adjective
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of or relating to the latter part of a process or system.
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Genetics. with or in the direction of transcription, translation, or synthesis of a DNA, RNA, or protein molecule.
adverb
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in or towards the lower part of a stream; with the current
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(in the oil industry) of or for the refining, distribution, or marketing of oil or its derived products Compare upstream
Etymology
Origin of downstream
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.
This is the view from downstream, looking up at the house and its welter of projecting terraces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Farther downstream, the devastation was etched into the shattered landscape of Devighat.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
In 2021, a large chunk of a Himalayan glacier collapsed in the valley of Chamoli in northern India, sending a cascade of debris and water downstream that killed 200 people.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
That may have led to the backed-up water surging downstream with enormous force a few hours later, they suggested.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Close by, under the left bank, a bed of crowfoot trailed downstream, the wheel-like leaves all submerged.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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.
