downstream

[doun-streem]

adverb

1. with or in the direction of the current of a stream.

adjective

1. of or relating to the latter part of a process or system.

2. Genetics.,  with or in the direction of transcription, translation, or synthesis of a DNA, RNA, or protein molecule.

downstream

/ ˈdaʊnˈstriːm /

adverb

1. in or towards the lower part of a stream; with the current

2. (in the oil industry) of or for the refining, distribution, or marketing of oil or its derived products Compare upstream

Word History and Origins

Origin of downstream¹

First recorded in 1700–10; down ¹ + stream

Example Sentences

Carriers, brokers and shippers are all saying they are seeing slow business as a result of uncertainty about downstream consumption amid trade friction, high interest rates, a government shutdown and a broader recession risk.

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Officials had expected it would take the floodwater two hours to reach inhabited areas downstream and only people living near the river would be affected.

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Eliminating cash bail had other excellent downstream effects.

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Federal officials have said they want to keep Lake Powell well above a point where water could pass downstream only through Glen Canyon Dam’s low-level bypass tubes.

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Just as important, Kirk sensed and exploited the complacency and weakness of liberal culture, and understood, in the cliché of our age, that politics is a downstream subsidiary.

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Related Words

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