lower

¹

[ loh-er ]

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to descend; let or put down:

   to lower a flag.

   Synonyms: depress, drop

2. to make lower in height or level:

   to lower the water in a canal.

3. to reduce in amount, price, degree, force, etc.

   Synonyms: lessen, diminish, decrease

   Antonyms: increase, raise

4. to make less loud:

   Please lower your voice.

   Synonyms: soften

5. to bring down in rank or estimation; degrade; humble; abase (oneself), as by some sacrifice of self-respect or dignity:

   His bad actions lowered him in my eyes.

   Synonyms: debase, disgrace, dishonor, humiliate

   Antonyms: ennoble, elevate

6. Music. to make lower in pitch; flatten.
7. Phonetics. to alter the articulation of (a vowel) by increasing the distance of the tongue downward from the palate:

   The vowel of “clerk” is lowered to (ä) in the British pronunciation.

verb (used without object)

1. to become lower, grow less, or diminish, as in amount, intensity, or degree:

   The brook lowers in early summer. Stock prices rise and lower constantly.

2. to descend; sink:

   the sun lowering in the west.

adjective

1. comparative of low ¹.
2. of or relating to those portions of a river farthest from the source.
3. (often initial capital letter) Stratigraphy. noting an early division of a period, system, or the like:

   the Lower Devonian.

noun

1. a denture for the lower jaw.
2. a lower berth.

lower

²

[ lou-er, louuhr ]

verb (used without object)

1. to be dark and threatening, as the sky or the weather.

   Synonyms: threaten, darken

2. to frown, scowl, or look sullen; glower:

   He lowers at people when he's in a bad mood.

noun

1. a dark, threatening appearance, as of the sky or weather.
2. a frown or scowl.

lower

¹

/ ˈlaʊə /

verb

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

noun

1. a menacing scowl or appearance

lower

²

/ ˈləʊə /

adjective

1. being below one or more other things

   the lower shelf

   the lower animals

2. reduced in amount or value

   a lower price

3. maths (of a limit or bound) less than or equal to one or more numbers or variables
4. sometimes capital geology denoting the early part or division of a period, system, formation, etc

   Lower Silurian

verb

1. tr to cause to become low or on a lower level; bring, put, or cause to move down
2. tr to reduce or bring down in estimation, dignity, value, etc

   to lower oneself

3. to reduce or be reduced

   to lower one's confidence

4. tr to make quieter

   to lower the radio

5. tr to reduce the pitch of
6. tr phonetics to modify the articulation of (a vowel) by bringing the tongue further away from the roof of the mouth
7. intr to diminish or become less

lower

/ lō′ər /

1. Being an earlier division of the geological or archaeological period named.
2. Compare upper

Derived Forms

• ˈloweringly, adverb
• ˈlowering, adjective
• ˈlowerable, adjective

Other Words From

• lower·a·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lower¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, comparative of low ¹ (adjective)

Origin of lower²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb louren “to frown, lurk”; akin to German lauern, Dutch loeren; lurk

Word History and Origins

Origin of lower¹

C12 (comparative of low ¹); C17 (vb)

Example Sentences

A lower court had put the execution on hold, and Alabama asked the Supreme Court to step in.

From Washington Post

The gas pumps that allow you to raise and lower your chair are fairly complex instruments, but the best desk chairs will have a smooth operation for a longer time.

From Popular-Science

Balance ball chairs are great for lower back pain and improving postureBalance ball chairs are a great option for those looking to get a health boost throughout the workday.

From Popular-Science

Using a lower broiler setting will still give dishes a lovely crust, but it will happen slower, and you won’t have to hover quite so anxiously by the stove.

From Eater

Versatile heat settings also let you keep your overall thermostat lower, which is better for saving money, better for the earth, and often better for your sinuses.

From Popular-Science

Dossi initially was listed in critical condition with wounds to his arm and lower back.

From The Daily Beast

Girls raised in households with more equitable fathers show lower rates of unwanted sex.

From The Daily Beast

Since then, the rising gap between the rich and middle- and lower-income families has risen to the fore.

From The Daily Beast

States were encouraged and allowed to lower standards to make it appear they were improving.

From The Daily Beast

I learned that he was working and living in the Lower East Side, delivering orders for an Italian restaurant and raising two kids.

From The Daily Beast

On the upper part of the stem the whorls are very close together, but they are more widely separated at the lower portion.

From Project Gutenberg

First a shower of shells dropping all along the lower ridges and out over the surface of the Bay.

From Project Gutenberg

There are many more good dwellings on this plain than in the rural portion of Lower Italy.

From Project Gutenberg

It depends upon the fact that bile acids lower surface tension.

From Project Gutenberg

The eyebrows were low and thick, the upper lip was sensitive, quivering sometimes as she talked, but the lower was firm and full.

From Project Gutenberg