Synonyms

lowdown

American

[loh-doun, loh-doun] / ˈloʊˌdaʊn, ˈloʊˈdaʊn /

noun

Usually the lowdown the real and unadorned facts; the true, secret, or inside information.

We gave them the lowdown on the new housing project.

adjective

contemptible; base; mean.

a lowdown trick.
low, especially socially or morally; degraded.

Etymology

Origin of lowdown

First recorded in 1540–50; low ¹ + down ¹

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.

Here’s the lowdown on adviser fees, fund returns and what is driving client redemptions on Wall Street.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

I don't care what some chef in a toque says about caramelizing onions; I want to hear the telephone cord cooking lowdown you'd warn your cousin about when she was making dinner.

From Salon • Jan. 7, 2025

Unlike in the moments after Reagan and his predecessor, Gerald Ford, were shot, you probably didn’t turn on the nearest TV or flee to the closest newsstand to get the lowdown.

From Slate • Jul. 16, 2024

There's been a lot going on - here's the lowdown.

From BBC • Dec. 7, 2023

Grandpa is probably in Worley now, checking out all four of its streets so he can give her the lowdown of the place in excruciating detail.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023