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RELATED WORDS

depress, drop, reduce, sink, pare, cut, soften, lessen, devalue, decrease, slash, downgrade, diminish, curtail, depreciate, junior, reduced, minor, low, subordinate

Nearby words

  1. lowell, abbott lawrence,
  2. lowell, amy,
  3. lowell, james russell,
  4. lowell, percival,
  5. lowell, robert,
  6. lower airway,
  7. lower apsis,
  8. lower austria,
  9. lower bound,
  10. lower burrell

Origin of lower

1
1150–1200; Middle English, comparative of low1 (adj.)
ANTONYMS FOR lower
3. raise, increase. 5. elevate, honor.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR lower ON THESAURUS.COM
Related formslow·er·a·ble, adjective

lower

2
[lou-er, louuhr]

verb (used without object)

to be dark and threatening, as the sky or the weather.
to frown, scowl, or look sullen; glower: He lowers at people when he's in a bad mood.

noun

a dark, threatening appearance, as of the sky or weather.
a frown or scowl.
Also lour.

Origin of lower

2
1250–1300; Middle English lour (noun), louren (v.) to frown, lurk; akin to German lauern, Dutch loeren

low

1
[loh]

adjective, low·er, low·est.

situated, placed, or occurring not far above the ground, floor, or base: a low shelf.
of small extent upward; not high or tall: A low wall surrounds the property.
not far above the horizon, as a planet: The moon was low in the sky.
lying or being below the general level: low ground.
designating or pertaining to regions near sea level, especially near the sea: low countries.
bending or passing far downward; deep: a low bow.
(of a garment) low-necked; décolleté: The dress she wore was fashionably low.
rising but slightly from a surface: a low relief on a frieze.
of less than average or normal height or depth, as a liquid or stream: The river is low this time of year.
near the first of a series: a low number.
ranked near the beginning or bottom on some scale of measurement: a low income bracket.
indicating the bottom or the point farthest down: the low point in his creative life.
lacking in strength, energy, or vigor; feeble; weak: to feel low and listless.
providing little nourishment or strength, as a diet.
of small number, amount, degree, force, intensity, etc.: low visibility; a generator with a low output.
indicated or represented by a low number: A low latitude is one relatively near the equator.
soft: subdued; not loud: a low murmur.
Music. produced by relatively slow vibrations, as sounds; grave in pitch.
assigning or attributing little worth, value, excellence, or the like: a low estimate of a new book.
containing a relatively small amount: a diet low in starches.
nearing depletion; not adequately supplied: low on funds; Our stock of towels is low.
depressed or dejected: low spirits.
far down in the scale of rank or estimation; humble: of low birth.
of inferior quality or character: a low grade of fabric; a low type of intellect.
lacking in dignity or elevation, as of thought or expression.
mean, base, or disreputable: low tricks; low companions.
coarse or vulgar: entertainment of a low sort.
Boxing. struck or delivered below a contestant's belt.
Biology. having a relatively simple structure; not complex in organization.
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).
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.
Baseball. (of a pitched ball) passing the plate at a level below that of the batter's knees: a low curve.
Cards. having less value than other cards: a low card.
Metallurgy. having a relatively small amount of a specified constituent (usually used in combination): low-carbon steel.
Chiefly British. holding to Low Church principles and practices.

adverb, low·er, low·est.

in or to a low position, point, degree, etc.: The raiders crouched low in the bushes.
near the ground, floor, or base; not aloft: The plane flew low.
in or to a humble or abject state: Some live low while others live high. She swore she would bring him low.
in or to a condition of depletion, prostration, or death: The gas in the tank is running low.
at comparatively small cost; cheaply: to buy something low and sell it high.
at or to a low pitch, volume, intensity, etc.: to turn the radio low; lights turned down low.
in a low tone; softly; quietly; to speak low.
Archaic. far down in time; late.

noun

something that is low, as ground or prices: numerous marshy lows in the forest; the recent low in the stock market.
Automotive. low gear; first gear.
Meteorology. an atmospheric low-pressure system; cyclone.Compare high(def 37).
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.
a point of deepest decline, vulgarity, etc.: a new low in tastelessness.
Slang. a period of intense depression or discomfort, when the effects of a drug have subsided.

Origin of low

1
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
SYNONYMS FOR low
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.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR low ON THESAURUS.COM
ANTONYMS FOR low
1–3. high.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR low ON THESAURUS.COM
Related formslow·ish, adjectivelow·ness, nouno·ver·low·ness, noun
Can be confusedlow lowly
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lower

British Dictionary definitions for lower

lower

1

adjective

being below one or more other thingsthe lower shelf; the lower animals
reduced in amount or valuea lower price
maths (of a limit or bound) less than or equal to one or more numbers or variables
(sometimes capital) geology denoting the early part or division of a period, system, formation, etcLower Silurian

verb

(tr) to cause to become low or on a lower level; bring, put, or cause to move down
(tr) to reduce or bring down in estimation, dignity, value, etcto lower oneself
to reduce or be reducedto lower one's confidence
(tr) to make quieterto lower the radio
(tr) to reduce the pitch of
(tr) phonetics to modify the articulation of (a vowel) by bringing the tongue further away from the roof of the mouth
(intr) to diminish or become less
Derived Formslowerable, adjective

Word Origin for lower

C12 (comparative of low 1); C17 (vb)

verb (intr)

(esp of the sky, weather, etc) to be overcast, dark, and menacing
to scowl or frown

noun

a menacing scowl or appearance
Derived Formslowering or louring, adjectiveloweringly or louringly, adverb

Low

noun

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

low

1

adjective

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
of less than the usual or expected height, depth, or degreelow temperature
  1. (of numbers) small
  2. (of measurements) expressed in small numbers
unfavourablea low opinion
not advanced in evolutiona low form of plant life
deepa low obeisance
coarse or vulgara low conversation
  1. inferior in culture or status
  2. (in combination)low-class
in a physically or mentally depressed or weakened state
designed so as to reveal the wearer's neck and part of the bosoma low neckline
with a hushed tone; quiet or softa low whisper
of relatively small price or monetary valuelow cost
music relating to or characterized by a relatively low pitch
(of latitudes) situated not far north or south of the equator
having little or no money
abject or servile
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)
(of a gear) providing a relatively low forward speed for a given engine speed
(usually capital) of or relating to the Low Church

adverb

in a low position, level, degree, intensity, etcto bring someone low
at a low pitch; deepto sing low
at a low price; cheaplyto buy low
lay low
  1. to cause to fall by a blow
  2. to overcome, defeat or destroy
lie low
  1. to keep or be concealed or quiet
  2. to wait for a favourable opportunity

noun

a low position, level, or degreean all-time low
an area of relatively low atmospheric pressure, esp a depression
electronics the voltage level in a logic circuit corresponding to logical zeroCompare high (def. 40)
Derived Formslowness, noun

Word Origin for low

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

low

2

noun Also: lowing

the sound uttered by cattle; moo

verb

to make or express by a low or moo

Word Origin for low

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 lower
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science definitions for lower

lower

[lō′ər]

Being an earlier division of the geological or archaeological period named. Compare upper.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Idioms and Phrases with lower

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
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.