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downtown

[ doun-toun ]
/ ˈdaʊnˈtaʊn /
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adverb
to or in the main business section of a city.
adjective
of, relating to, or situated in the main business section of a city.
noun
the main business section of a city.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of downtown

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; down1 + town

OTHER WORDS FROM downtown

downtowner, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use downtown in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for downtown

downtown
/ (ˈdaʊnˈtaʊn) US, Canadian and NZ /

noun
the central or lower part of a city, esp the main commercial area
adverb
towards, to, or into this area
adjective
of, relating to, or situated in the downtown areadowntown Manhattan

Derived forms of downtown

downtowner, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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