downtown
Americanadverb
adjective
noun
-
downtowns
plural
noun
adverb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Ballad of Birmingham" by Dudley Randall
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
See Examples For:
The next time Ortiz saw her husband was through a glass pane at a federal holding center in downtown Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
On Thursday, CNN, MS NOW and Politico appeared in a downtown Washington court to urge a federal judge to extend their White House access.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026
On Wednesday morning, a sea of people snaked around a downtown warehouse in San Francisco, waiting to get into the hottest event in town: the Claude Founder House, hosted by Anthropic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
“We have a house in Sandy Springs, which I don’t particularly like. I just don’t. I’m just being honest. But downtown, like Inman Park and all that, I love.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
All three got in a taxi and drove toward downtown Boston.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Office and retail properties suffered after urban downtowns were hollowed out by remote work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
In addition, “many condo buildings are located in urban downtowns, which are less attractive than they used to be for people who now work from home at least part-time,” the paper reported.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 14, 2026
"Carriers really appreciate Freightera's reliable demand for service, which has grown every year consistently, right through Covid, the inflation afterwards and the current freight recession, one of the largest running freight downtowns," he says.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2025
Advocates for flagging downtowns would like to change the rules to make it easier to convert office buildings into apartments.
From Slate ● Feb. 28, 2025
Even the brick buildings in the ramshackle little downtowns we drive past seem crisp in this light.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
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.
