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.
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.
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;
ights turned down low.
in a low tone; softly: quietly.
to speak low.
Archaic. far down in time; late.
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.
Cards.
the lowest trump card.
a card of small value, or of lower value than other cards.
the lowest score in a game.
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.
lie low,
to conceal oneself.
He had to lie low for a while.
to do nothing until the right opportunity develops; bide one's time.
Until the dispute is settled, you would do best to lie low.
lay low,
to overpower or kill; defeat.
to lay one's attackers low.
to knock down; make prostrate.
Informal. to lie low.
to burn; blaze.
(of a person) to feel strong emotions; glow with excitement.
David, 1891–1963, English political cartoonist, born in New Zealand.
Juliette, 1860–1927, founder of Girl Scouts in the U.S.
Seth, 1850–1916, U.S. political reformer, educator, and politician.
having a relatively small distance from base to top; not tall or high
a low hill
a low building
situated at a relatively short distance above the ground, sea level, the horizon, or other reference position
low cloud
( in combination )
low-lying
involving or containing a relatively small amount of something
a low supply
( in combination )
low-pressure
having little value or quality
( in combination )
low-grade
of less than the usual or expected height, depth, or degree
low temperature
(of numbers) small
(of measurements) expressed in small numbers
unfavourable
a low opinion
not advanced in evolution
a low form of plant life
deep
a low obeisance
coarse or vulgar
a low conversation
inferior in culture or status
( 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 bosom
a low neckline
with a hushed tone; quiet or soft
a low whisper
of relatively small price or monetary value
low 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 father Compare high
(of a gear) providing a relatively low forward speed for a given engine speed
(usually capital) of or relating to the Low Church
in a low position, level, degree, intensity, etc
to bring someone low
at a low pitch; deep
to sing low
at a low price; cheaply
to buy low
to cause to fall by a blow
to overcome, defeat or destroy
to keep or be concealed or quiet
to wait for a favourable opportunity
a low position, level, or degree
an all-time low
an area of relatively low atmospheric pressure, esp a depression
electronics the voltage level in a logic circuit corresponding to logical zero Compare high
See mean 2.
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
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”
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
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.
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The 35-year-old told The Mirror she was at an "ultimate low" after being forced to quit the show in 2024 because of illness.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Analysts at Jefferies expected the second quarter to be a low point in sales volume for Ford, because of the fire involving aluminum supplier Novelis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
That put it on track for a fifth straight gain, after it closed at a nearly four-month low on July 21.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
So it would have 100% affected that part of my life, which does get me low, obviously.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
We scrambled across the intervening platforms, heads low to avoid another bump, dropped down to the aisle, and edged our way to a patch of light.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Low Earth-orbit satellite networks are closer to Earth than traditional constellations, making them suitable to project low-latency broadband directly to smartphones in parts of the world where cell towers are unavailable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Low Flight, published in 2024, is a collection of poems inspired by interviews and surveys that Wang conducted with around 200 delivery riders.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Low oxygen caused sediments to release even more phosphate.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
Low temperatures across the region will likely remain in the 70s even overnight, providing little relief and exacerbating health concerns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
The Isle-Men of Low Torning, standing in awe of the wizard from Roke, asked pardon for its humbleness.
From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Initial reports said that as many as 20 to 30 people were trapped inside but broadcaster NHK cited police early Wednesday as saying that the number was "lower than that".
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
The new forecast for peak inflation is lower than the 4.1% projected in April, but remains higher than many other estimates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Men aged 25 are seeing a lower rate of employment than their age-equivalents in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, with employment rates dropping from 84% to 76%.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Ford posted second-quarter revenue of $48.3 billion, down 4% from a year ago, reflecting lower wholesale volumes plagued by ongoing aluminum supply constraints and the “right-sizing” of EV sales, the carmaker said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
It was lower than her other shoulder, and not as round.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
She delivered when it mattered and under intense pressure, just days after one of her lowest moments, to create history by becoming the first Welsh woman to win an artistic gymnastics Commonwealth Games gold.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Daily retail net buying of single stocks remains at its lowest level since 2020, according to Vanda Research, with the 21-day average sitting well below recent norms.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
The number of new HIV cases and AIDS-related deaths dropped to their lowest levels in more than 30 years in 2025, according to the report.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
As one of the largest buyers of memory chips, Apple for years has hammered Micron and rival suppliers for the lowest prices on components crucial to its devices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
I felt put out because I didn’t get any nice presents: no sweater set, no phonograph records—oh, I thought that day was the lowest a girl can go.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
“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
When the cow lowed again, closer yet, they halted.
From "The Fighting Ground" by Avi
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
“Neither the screaming wild-cat nor the howling wolf are longer heard, but instead the crowing cock, the bleating lamb, and lowing kine.”
From Washington Times ● Jan. 5, 2017
But long before the sound of their lowing and the sight of their preening, the building was leased to a Hungarian baker, modestly famous for his brioche and poppy-seed rolls.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
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.
