come down

Idioms  

1. Lose wealth or position, as in After the market crashed, the Tates really came down in the world . A 1382 translation of the Bible by followers of John Wycliffe had this term: “Come down from glory, sit in thirst” (Jeremiah 48:18).

2. Become reduced in size or amount, be lowered, as in Interest rates will have to come down before the economy recovers . [Mid-1600s]

3. Be handed down by inheritance, tradition, or a higher authority. For example, This painting has come down to us from our great-grandparents , or These stories have come down through the generations , or An indictment finally came down . [c. 1400]

4. Also, go down . Happen, occur, as in What's coming down tonight? [ Slang ; 1960s]

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Example Sentences

They’re trading around 11 and 13 times 2026 earnings estimates, respectively, and would benefit if rates come down.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

It’s more like throwing the game board up in the air to see how it might come down.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Even though valuations have come down over the past few months, stocks are still looking expensive these days, he said, and that could easily become a problem.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026

Mark Bird, from GBGB, said the decision "appears to come down to arguments of a purely academic nature".

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

But I had to come down with whatchamacallit so that I wouldn’t have to team up with Katie for the working-with-a-partner project in social studies this semester.

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen