Word.ws English Dictionary

down-

down- prefix: decrease.

Prefix

down-

  1. Decrease.
    • Those bonds have been downrated.
  2. Lower position or direction, literally or figuratively.
    • The end of the ride was a long coast downhill.
  3. De-emphasis.
    • I tried to downplay the importance of the scandal.

Origin of down-

From Middle English down-, doun-, dun-, from Old English dūne- (“down-”), from dūne (“down, downward”). More at down.

Questions about down-

What does down- mean?
Down- means decrease.
What part of speech is down-?
Down- is a prefix.

Words near down- in the dictionary

  1. down with one's dust
  2. down with the dust
  3. down with the kids
  4. Down's
  5. Down's syndrome
  6. down-
  7. down-and-out
  8. down-and-outer
  9. down-and-outers
  10. down-and-outs
  11. down-at-heel

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: down- (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “down-.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/down-. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.