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low1

[loh]
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adjective, low·er, low·est.
  1. situated, placed, or occurring not far above the ground, floor, or base: a low shelf.
  2. of small extent upward; not high or tall: A low wall surrounds the property.
  3. not far above the horizon, as a planet: The moon was low in the sky.
  4. lying or being below the general level: low ground.
  5. designating or pertaining to regions near sea level, especially near the sea: low countries.
  6. bending or passing far downward; deep: a low bow.
  7. (of a garment) low-necked; décolleté: The dress she wore was fashionably low.
  8. rising but slightly from a surface: a low relief on a frieze.
  9. of less than average or normal height or depth, as a liquid or stream: The river is low this time of year.
  10. near the first of a series: a low number.
  11. ranked near the beginning or bottom on some scale of measurement: a low income bracket.
  12. indicating the bottom or the point farthest down: the low point in his creative life.
  13. lacking in strength, energy, or vigor; feeble; weak: to feel low and listless.
  14. providing little nourishment or strength, as a diet.
  15. of small number, amount, degree, force, intensity, etc.: low visibility; a generator with a low output.
  16. indicated or represented by a low number: A low latitude is one relatively near the equator.
  17. soft: subdued; not loud: a low murmur.
  18. Music. produced by relatively slow vibrations, as sounds; grave in pitch.
  19. assigning or attributing little worth, value, excellence, or the like: a low estimate of a new book.
  20. containing a relatively small amount: a diet low in starches.
  21. nearing depletion; not adequately supplied: low on funds; Our stock of towels is low.
  22. depressed or dejected: low spirits.
  23. far down in the scale of rank or estimation; humble: of low birth.
  24. of inferior quality or character: a low grade of fabric; a low type of intellect.
  25. lacking in dignity or elevation, as of thought or expression.
  26. mean, base, or disreputable: low tricks; low companions.
  27. coarse or vulgar: entertainment of a low sort.
  28. Boxing. struck or delivered below a contestant's belt.
  29. Biology. having a relatively simple structure; not complex in organization.
  30. Phonetics. (of a vowel) articulated with a relatively large opening above the tongue, as the vowels of hat, hut, hot, ought, etc.Compare high(def 23).
  31. Automotive. of, relating to, or operating at the gear transmission ratio at which the drive shaft moves at the lowest speed with relation to the speed of the engine crankshaft, used especially for temporarily overcoming the weight or inertia of the vehicle; first: low gear.
  32. Baseball. (of a pitched ball) passing the plate at a level below that of the batter's knees: a low curve.
  33. Cards. having less value than other cards: a low card.
  34. Metallurgy. having a relatively small amount of a specified constituent (usually used in combination): low-carbon steel.
  35. Chiefly British. holding to Low Church principles and practices.
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adverb, low·er, low·est.
  1. in or to a low position, point, degree, etc.: The raiders crouched low in the bushes.
  2. near the ground, floor, or base; not aloft: The plane flew low.
  3. in or to a humble or abject state: Some live low while others live high. She swore she would bring him low.
  4. in or to a condition of depletion, prostration, or death: The gas in the tank is running low.
  5. at comparatively small cost; cheaply: to buy something low and sell it high.
  6. at or to a low pitch, volume, intensity, etc.: to turn the radio low; lights turned down low.
  7. in a low tone; softly; quietly; to speak low.
  8. Archaic. far down in time; late.
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noun
  1. something that is low, as ground or prices: numerous marshy lows in the forest; the recent low in the stock market.
  2. Automotive. low gear; first gear.
  3. Meteorology. an atmospheric low-pressure system; cyclone.Compare high(def 37).
  4. Cards.
    1. the lowest trump card.
    2. a card of small value, or of lower value than other cards.
    3. the lowest score in a game.
    4. a player having such a score.
  5. a point of deepest decline, vulgarity, etc.: a new low in tastelessness.
  6. Slang. a period of intense depression or discomfort, when the effects of a drug have subsided.
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Idioms
  1. lay low,
    1. to overpower or kill; defeat: to lay one's attackers low.
    2. to knock down; make prostrate.
    3. Informal.to lie low.
  2. lie low,
    1. to conceal oneself: He had to lie low for a while.
    2. to do nothing until the right opportunity develops; bide one's time: Until the dispute is settled, you would do best to lie low.
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Origin of low1

1125–75; Middle English lowe, lohe (adj. and noun), earlier lāh < Old Norse lāgr (adj.); cognate with Old Frisian lēge, lēch, Dutch laag, Old High German laege; akin to lie2
Related formslow·ish, adjectivelow·ness, nouno·ver·low·ness, noun
Can be confusedlow lowly

Synonyms

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13. exhausted, sinking, expiring, dying. 17. quiet. 18. deep. 22. dispirited, unhappy, sad. 23. lowly, meek, obscure. 26. ignoble, degraded, servile. 27. rude, crude. See mean2.

Antonyms

1–3. high.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

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British Dictionary definitions for lay low

Low

noun
  1. Sir David. 1891–1963, British political cartoonist, born in New Zealand: created Colonel BlimpSee blimp 2
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low1

adjective
  1. having a relatively small distance from base to top; not tall or higha low hill; a low building
    1. situated at a relatively short distance above the ground, sea level, the horizon, or other reference positionlow cloud
    2. (in combination)low-lying
    1. involving or containing a relatively small amount of somethinga low supply
    2. (in combination)low-pressure
    1. having little value or quality
    2. (in combination)low-grade
  5. of less than the usual or expected height, depth, or degreelow temperature
    1. (of numbers) small
    2. (of measurements) expressed in small numbers
  7. unfavourablea low opinion
  8. not advanced in evolutiona low form of plant life
  9. deepa low obeisance
  10. coarse or vulgara low conversation
    1. inferior in culture or status
    2. (in combination)low-class
  12. in a physically or mentally depressed or weakened state
  13. designed so as to reveal the wearer's neck and part of the bosoma low neckline
  14. with a hushed tone; quiet or softa low whisper
  15. of relatively small price or monetary valuelow cost
  16. music relating to or characterized by a relatively low pitch
  17. (of latitudes) situated not far north or south of the equator
  18. having little or no money
  19. abject or servile
  20. phonetics of, relating to, or denoting a vowel whose articulation is produced by moving the back of the tongue away from the soft palate or the blade away from the hard palate, such as for the a in English fatherCompare high (def. 22)
  21. (of a gear) providing a relatively low forward speed for a given engine speed
  22. (usually capital) of or relating to the Low Church
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adverb
  1. in a low position, level, degree, intensity, etcto bring someone low
  2. at a low pitch; deepto sing low
  3. at a low price; cheaplyto buy low
  4. lay low
    1. to cause to fall by a blow
    2. to overcome, defeat or destroy
  5. lie low
    1. to keep or be concealed or quiet
    2. to wait for a favourable opportunity
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noun
  1. a low position, level, or degreean all-time low
  2. an area of relatively low atmospheric pressure, esp a depression
  3. electronics the voltage level in a logic circuit corresponding to logical zeroCompare high (def. 40)
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Derived Formslowness, noun

Word Origin

C12 lāh, from Old Norse lāgr; related to Old Frisian lēch low, Dutch laag

low2

noun Also: lowing
  1. the sound uttered by cattle; moo
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verb
  1. to make or express by a low or moo
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Word Origin

Old English hlōwan; related to Dutch loeien, Old Saxon hlōian
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

Word Origin and History for lay low

low

adj.

"not high," late 13c., from lah (late 12c.), "not rising much, being near the base or ground" (of objects or persons); "lying on the ground or in a deep place" (late 13c.), from Old Norse lagr "low," or a similar Scandinavian source (cf. Swedish låg, Danish lav), from Proto-Germanic *lega- "lying flat, low" (cf. Old Frisian lech, Middle Dutch lage, Dutch laag "low," dialectal German läge "flat"), from PIE *legh- "to lie" (see lie (v.2)).

Meaning "humble in rank" is from c.1200; "undignified" is from 1550s; sense of "dejected, dispirited" is attested from 1737; meaning "coarse, vulgar" is from 1759. In reference to sounds, "not loud," also "having a deep pitch," it is attested from c.1300. Of prices, from c.1400. In geographical usage, low refers to the part of a country near the sea-shore (c.1300; e.g. Low Countries "Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg," 1540s). As an adverb c.1200, from the adjective.

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low

v.

Old English hlowan "make a noise like a cow," from Proto-Germanic *khlo- (cf. Middle Dutch loeyen, Dutch loeien, Old Low Franconian luon, Old High German hluojen), from imitative PIE root *kele- (2) "to shout" (see claim (v.)).

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low

n.1

sound made by cows, 1540s, from low (v.).

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low

adv.

early 13c., from low (adj.). Of voices or sounds, from c.1300.

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low

n.2

"hill," obsolete except in place names, Old English hlaw "hill, mound," especially "barrow," related to hleonian "to lean" (see lean (v.)). Cf. Latin clivus "hill" from the same PIE root.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with lay low

lay low

see lay someone low; lie low.

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low

In addition to the idioms beginning with low

  • low blow
  • low boiling point
  • low man on the totem pole
  • low profile

also see:

  • at a low ebb
  • (low) boiling point
  • high and low
  • keep a low profile
  • lay someone low
  • lie low
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.