downtown
Americanadverb
adjective
noun
noun
adverb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of downtown
Explanation
Downtown is the area of a city that's the busiest, with the most shops, restaurants, buildings, and pedestrians. You can usually take a bus, train, or subway to get around downtown. The widespread use of downtown probably started in New York City during the early 19th century. The original city hub was located at the southern tip of Manhattan, and as development proceeded northward, New Yorkers began to distinguish between downtown and uptown. In many cities today, downtown doesn't refer to the southern area of the city, just its heart or center.
Vocabulary lists containing downtown
Spelling Practice 1, Unit 7
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"Ballad of Birmingham" by Dudley Randall
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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.
Photographer Julio Szymanski of Cascavel, a city in Paraná state, says his best-selling urban landscape photos feature some of the 150 or so capybaras that live in a downtown park.
From Slate • May 27, 2026
Police cordoned off access to the White House and National Guard troops blocked an AFP reporter from entering the area in downtown Washington.
From Barron's • May 23, 2026
Protesters demonstrated against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for weeks outside the facility, which is roughly 10 miles from downtown Chicago.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which is situated on the Ile Notre Dame in the St Lawrence Seaway alongside downtown Montreal, is a very different track from Miami.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
Mr. Lyons drove Jake, Kojo, and Grace to the service entrance behind the downtown hotel.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
