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  • low
    low
    adjective
    situated, placed, or occurring not far above the ground, floor, or base.
  • Low
    Low
    noun
    David, 1891–1963, English political cartoonist, born in New Zealand.
Synonyms

low

1 American  
[loh] / loʊ /

adjective

  • lower,
    comparative
  • lowest
    superlative
  1. situated, placed, or occurring not far above the ground, floor, or base.

    a low shelf.

    Antonyms:
    high
  2. of small extent upward; not high or tall.

    A low wall surrounds the property.

    Antonyms:
    high
  3. not far above the horizon, as a planet.

    The moon was low in the sky.

    Antonyms:
    high
  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.

    Synonyms:
    dying, exhausted
  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.

    Synonyms:
    quiet
  18. Music. produced by relatively slow vibrations, as sounds; grave in pitch.

    Synonyms:
    deep
  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.

    Synonyms:
    sad, unhappy, dispirited
  23. far down in the scale of rank or estimation; humble.

    of low birth.

    Synonyms:
    obscure, insignificant, lowly
  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.

    Synonyms:
    servile, degraded, ignoble
  27. coarse or vulgar.

    entertainment of a low sort.

    Synonyms:
    crude, rude
  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.

  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.


adverb

lower, lowest
  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;

    ights turned down low.

  7. in a low tone; softly: quietly.

    to speak low.

  8. Archaic. far down in time; late.

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.

  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.

idioms

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

low 2 American  
[loh] / loʊ /

verb (used without object)

lowed, lowing
  1. to utter the deep, low sound characteristic of cattle; moo.


verb (used with object)

lowed, lowing
  1. to utter by or as by lowing.

noun

  1. the act or the sound of lowing.

    the low of a distant herd.

low 3 American  
[loh] / loʊ /
Or lowe

verb (used without object)

British Dialect.
lowed, lowing
  1. to burn; blaze.

  2. (of a person) to feel strong emotions; glow with excitement.


Low 4 American  
[loh] / loʊ /

noun

  1. David, 1891–1963, English political cartoonist, born in New Zealand.

  2. Juliette, 1860–1927, founder of Girl Scouts in the U.S.

  3. Seth, 1850–1916, U.S. political reformer, educator, and politician.


low 1 British  
/ ləʊ /

adjective

  1. having a relatively small distance from base to top; not tall or high

    a low hill

    a low building

    1. situated at a relatively short distance above the ground, sea level, the horizon, or other reference position

      low cloud

    2. ( in combination )

      low-lying

    1. involving or containing a relatively small amount of something

      a low supply

    2. ( in combination )

      low-pressure

    1. having little value or quality

    2. ( in combination )

      low-grade

  2. of less than the usual or expected height, depth, or degree

    low temperature

    1. (of numbers) small

    2. (of measurements) expressed in small numbers

  3. unfavourable

    a low opinion

  4. not advanced in evolution

    a low form of plant life

  5. deep

    a low obeisance

  6. coarse or vulgar

    a low conversation

    1. inferior in culture or status

    2. ( in combination )

      low-class

  7. in a physically or mentally depressed or weakened state

  8. designed so as to reveal the wearer's neck and part of the bosom

    a low neckline

  9. with a hushed tone; quiet or soft

    a low whisper

  10. of relatively small price or monetary value

    low cost

  11. music relating to or characterized by a relatively low pitch

  12. (of latitudes) situated not far north or south of the equator

  13. having little or no money

  14. abject or servile

  15. 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 father Compare high

  16. (of a gear) providing a relatively low forward speed for a given engine speed

  17. (usually capital) of or relating to the Low Church

"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

adverb

  1. in a low position, level, degree, intensity, etc

    to bring someone low

  2. at a low pitch; deep

    to sing low

  3. at a low price; cheaply

    to buy low

    1. to cause to fall by a blow

    2. to overcome, defeat or destroy

    1. to keep or be concealed or quiet

    2. to wait for a favourable opportunity

"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

noun

  1. a low position, level, or degree

    an 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 zero Compare high

"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
low 2 British  
/ ləʊ /

noun

  1. the sound uttered by cattle; moo

"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

verb

  1. to make or express by a low or moo

"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
Low 3 British  
/ ləʊ /

noun

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

"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

low More Idioms  

Synonym Usage

See mean 2.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Adjectives


Etymology

Origin of low1

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English lou(e), loh(e) (adjective and noun), earlier lāh, from Old Norse lāgr (adjective) “low, low down”; cognate with Old Frisian lēge, lēch, Dutch laag, Old High German laege; akin to lie 2

Origin of low2

First recorded before 1000; Middle English lowen, Old English hlōwan; cognate with Dutch loeien, Old High German hluoen, Old Saxon hlōian; akin to Old Norse Hlōi a proper name (literally, “bellower, shouter”), Latin clāmāre “to call out”

Origin of low3

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old Norse loga “to flame,” log “a flame,” akin to German lohen (verb), Lohe (noun), Latin lūcēre (verb), lūx (noun) “light”; see also light 1


Explanation

When you travel through a low tunnel, you might be tempted to duck your head. Something that's low is short or shallow. Things that are less than usual can be described with the adjective low. You might be low on gas in your car, for example, or wake up with a low amount of energy. A low ceiling can be dangerous for a very tall person, and a low voice can barely be heard. You can also talk about a gloomy mood as being low. And when cows moo, whether they're feeling low or not, you can cay that they low.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing low

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:

U.S. jobless claims reversed recent declines last week, climbing more sharply than anticipated though remaining historically low.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

The government has also privatised electricity distribution, but distribution companies have struggled to invest in infrastructure, including local transformers and metering systems, partly because of low profit margins.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026

On currency markets the rupiah hit a record low against the dollar as traders rushed into the US unit on expectations the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates into the new year.

From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2026

Prices have largely leveled off as mortgage rates have frozen demand, but they have still crept to record levels as homeowners have held on to their low mortgage rates from years ago, hurting inventory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

He was a young man and altogether a more modern figure, in low shoes.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Low pressure and a weather front will graze southern parts of Britain, bringing outbreaks of rain and slightly milder air with highs reaching 10 to 14C.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026

David Pauloski, 45, who lives near Pittsburgh, traded in a Harley Low Rider ST for a Super Glide this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

According to Low, demand for Amazon’s cloud services remained strong, leading the company to nearly double its AI-related spending this year, while its retail revenue was weak.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

Low Earth-orbit satellite networks are closer to Earth than traditional constellations, making them ideal to beam low-latency broadband directly to smartphones in parts of the world where cell towers are unavailable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Low Key, who was a grifter from Minnesota, smiled his scarred smile.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman

His job in financial services allowed him to get an adjustable-rate mortgage with a lower initial rate of 6.15%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

The sales tax is an unprecedented move by the city, and vital for the department to hire more personnel, open more stations and lower the department’s response times, said Doug Coates, the fire union president.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2026

But similar averages of CPCB's published data for 14 of those 24 hours produced a much lower figure of 299 micrograms.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026

And Sen expects the AI trade to go forward with a much lower valuation multiple without the capital infusions from Nvidia.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2026

And yet its lower half was so fishlike.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

The pace of sales was the lowest since the depths of the recession in August 2010.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2026

Home sales declined in October to their lowest level since 2010, a new trough for a housing market that has been hovering near rock bottom for more than four years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

As of this week, the department had 8,504 sworn personnel — the lowest total since October 1995 — roughly a tenth of whom are not on full duty status, officials say.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026

Their observations showed that ozone levels directly above the South Pole fell to their lowest reading of 2026 on October 17, reaching 105 Dobson units.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 11, 2026

“Yes it is,” said I, “because I cannot bear that people should say, ‘she throws away her graces and attractions on a mere boor, the lowest in the crowd.’”

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

“People see me on the court and they’re like,” he said, then lowed his voice to a whisper, “’Oh, my God!

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2022

The SCA later lowed its demand to $550m, but the owners and insurers reportedly offered to pay $150m.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2021

They fed us lentils cooked in onion and garlic and thin milk from the water buffalo that lowed outside.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2020

Charlie’s mother fol- lowed his voice to the kitchen, where she let him know that she and Charlie were home playing cards.

From MSNBC ● Oct. 22, 2014

The cows lowed it, the dogs whined it, the sheep bleated it, the horses whinnied it, the ducks quacked it.

From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell

The Dodgers wasted a splendid performance from starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who allowed four hits while striking out nine in six scoreless innings, lowing his earned-run average to 2.20.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2025

You can hear a gentle lowing of cows.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2022

From its opening lonely trumpet, it gathers and gains; a lowing cello calls, and the orchestra responds.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 20, 2022

Behind us, the skyline of Atlanta hidden by the photographer’s backdrop — a lush pasture, green, full of soft-eyed cows lowing, a chant that sounds like no, no.

From New York Times ● Nov. 13, 2018

They heard a noise—the lowing of distant cattle—and they looked at each other and grinned the grins of hungry men who would eat that night.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman

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