bring down
Britishverb
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to cause to fall
the fighter aircraft brought the enemy down
the ministers agreed to bring down the price of oil
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slang (usually passive) to cause to be elated and then suddenly depressed, as from using drugs
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Cause to fall, collapse, or die. For example, The pilot won a medal for bringing down enemy aircraft , or The bill's defeat was sure to bring down the party . [c. 1300]
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Cause a punishment or judgment, as in The bomb threats brought down the public's wrath on the terrorists [Mid-1600s]
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Reduce, lower, as in I won't buy it till they bring down the price , or He refused to bring himself down to their level . This usage may be literal, as in the first example, or figurative, as in the second. [First half of 1500s]
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.
It is not meant to replace humans and cannot bring down Japan's suicide rate -- the highest in the G7 -- alone, she stressed.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
They hoped military pressure from outside might finally weaken or even bring down the regime.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
In one photo, Graham posed, grinning, holding a black P1-SUN interceptor built to bring down Russian Shahed drones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Domestic supply needs to increase to bring down prices, but ranchers still lack the market and policy environment to grow the herd.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
“The antibiotics will take a day or so to kick in. This’ll bring down the fever.”
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
