lower
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause to descend; let or put down.
to lower a flag.
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to make lower in height or level.
to lower the water in a canal.
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to reduce in amount, price, degree, force, etc.
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to make less loud.
Please lower your voice.
- Synonyms:
- soften
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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.
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Music. to make lower in pitch; flatten.
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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)
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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.
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to descend; sink.
the sun lowering in the west.
adjective
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comparative of low.
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of or relating to those portions of a river farthest from the source.
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(often initial capital letter) noting an early division of a period, system, or the like.
the Lower Devonian.
noun
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a denture for the lower jaw.
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a lower berth.
verb
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(esp of the sky, weather, etc) to be overcast, dark, and menacing
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to scowl or frown
noun
adjective
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being below one or more other things
the lower shelf
the lower animals
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reduced in amount or value
a lower price
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maths (of a limit or bound) less than or equal to one or more numbers or variables
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(sometimes capital) geology denoting the early part or division of a period, system, formation, etc
Lower Silurian
verb
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(tr) to cause to become low or on a lower level; bring, put, or cause to move down
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(tr) to reduce or bring down in estimation, dignity, value, etc
to lower oneself
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to reduce or be reduced
to lower one's confidence
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(tr) to make quieter
to lower the radio
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(tr) to reduce the pitch of
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(tr) phonetics to modify the articulation of (a vowel) by bringing the tongue further away from the roof of the mouth
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(intr) to diminish or become less
Other Word Forms
- lowerable adjective
- lowering adjective
- loweringly adverb
Etymology
Origin of lower1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, comparative of low 1 (adjective)
Origin of lower1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb louren “to frown, lurk”; akin to German lauern, Dutch loeren; lurk
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.
But gross margins for the model are much lower, at around 32%, than the company’s current margins at more than 60%, RBC says.
There is also the potential for lowering costs as the bank moves through its regulatory transformation, as well as removing stranded costs from exited businesses.
Ambulance delays when handing patients over to A&E staff were lower over the Christmas than the year before.
From BBC
SpaceX has its existing business on its side, too: The company essentially invented reusable rockets, dramatically lowering the cost of reaching space and enabling the entire modern-day space economy.
From Barron's
Many strategists see plenty of positives in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, where valuations are still lower than in the U.S.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
