download
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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software, data, etc., that has been downloaded.
the best free music downloads.
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the act or process of downloading.
verb
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to copy or transfer (data or a program) into the memory of one computer system from a larger one
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to broadcast specialist programmes, for such groups as doctors, outside normal broadcasting hours. They are often recorded on video tapes and viewed later Compare upload
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to delegate or assign (work, responsibilities, costs, etc) to a someone at a lower level of an organization; off-load
noun
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To transfer data or programs from a server or host computer to one's own computer or digital device.
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Compare upload
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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downloadsimple
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downloadssimple
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have downloadedperfect
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has downloadedperfect
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am downloadingprogressive
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are downloadingprogressive
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is downloadingprogressive
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have been downloadingperfect progressive
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has been downloadingperfect progressive
Past
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downloadedsimple
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had downloadedperfect
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was downloadingprogressive
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were downloadingprogressive
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had been downloadingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of download
Explanation
When you've got files on one computer that you need to transfer onto another, you'll need to download or copy the data onto a portable drive to move it. Back before the internet brought the world to our fingers, the word download was used mainly to describe the process of copying files or data from one computer to another. But these days, you can download or copy, just about anything from the internet — from music to movies to books. Another thing you can download, if you aren't careful, is a virus, so be wary before you go transferring all kinds of files to your computer.
Vocabulary lists containing download
Computer Science and Technology - Introductory
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Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Computer Science and Technology - High School
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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.
See Examples For:
Additionally, Arya said every download of an open-weight model leads to another customer’s need for memory to run it on their hardware — something that isn’t the case with closed models.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Chinese AI models are gaining traction globally, including in the U.S., partly because many are open-source—allowing people to freely download and adapt them—and are generally cheaper to run than Western models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
There will be a box at some stores, yes, but it contains a download code, not a disc.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Meta, in a blog post, described Muse Image as a “creative partner that knows your world, making it easy to turn your ideas into high-quality visuals you can download and share anywhere.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
“Fine,” I say, half listening as I skim through the titles of the articles I can download.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
The FT’s article reports that the Chinese government discussed restricting the transfer of important data abroad and limiting the downloads of models by foreign users.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
According to Similarweb, a digital market intelligence company, downloads of the app began to rise from just over 14,000 last October to 33,710 in November.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Some downloads, it says, were coordinated among several Meta IP addresses, all based on the same algorithmic keywords and occurring simultaneously, suggesting that the infringements “took place within Meta’s walls.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
These regulations were followed by a spike in downloads of VPNs and calls from some, including the Children's Commissioner, for age checks to restrict them for young people.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
Without her Cog, she and Rubio are no longer being fed downloads while they sleep.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Moonshot AI will release Kimi K3 as an open-source model on 27 July, making it the first of its scale that can be freely downloaded and customised by developers and members of the public.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
It has been downloaded more than a billion times across iOS and Android devices, with millions still logging on each day.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
I downloaded an app that mapped out my route and where I should charge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Once a week after her parental leave, she lugged the hulking computer to the office and downloaded the latest version of the film so she could keep working after bedtime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
Then he downloaded them and sent an e-mail to his father, Assistant Principal Borruso, and McCoy.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
It also argued that customers were in no way forced to use its products on Android and that downloading competing apps was just a tap away.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Williams, the mother of two, is merely the latest ultra-successful sports icon to decide that investor meetings, casual golf and downloading episodes of “Bluey” wasn’t how she wanted to spend her 40s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
The practice was pioneered by the Recording Industry Assn. of America, when the industry feared that unauthorized downloading of music through programs such as Napster threatened its very existence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
But Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has said it wants age verification to be handled on a device level, so underage children would be blocked from downloading certain apps.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
Apart from movies, weekends were constructed around some new Net or Web project—trying out a just-purchased game, downloading new software, collecting and listening to music, installing a new operating system.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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.
