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Glite Dictionary
🇬🇧 The UK government 🏛️ A famous street
Downing Street

Downing Street

6 3.5
A name used for the British government, especially the Prime Minister, their office and staff
  • noun
  • Literature
translation icon : Gobierno británico
  • A statement issued earlier from Downing Street said the government is optimistic that a peaceful negotiated settlement to the conflict is at hand.
  • 10 Downing Street
  • minister at Downing Street
  • number 10 Downing Street

Examples

  • Well, for the view in Downing Street and today's events, let's talk to our political...

    He Who Dares (2014)

  • All I need to say now is that he was taken very seriously even in the White House and on Downing Street.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • That same day, 10 Downing Street and the White House both heard about it.

    The Kremlin Letter (1970)

  • I am speaking to you from the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street.

    In Which We Serve (1942)

  • Washington and 10 Downing Street in an uproar.

    The Kremlin Letter (1970)

  • (ON TV) Sources confirmed that Prime Minister James Wilson has died while sleeping in his residence at 10 Downing Street.

    London Has Fallen (2016)

  • The statement just released from Downing Street condemns what it calls, reckless Soviet actions which can only worsen an already grave situation.

    Threads (1984)

  • US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks to reporters outside 10 Downing Street after meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron in central London on July 26, 2012.

    Blog text (23)

  • Both Downing Street and Washington hope that the show of force will demonstrate to Iran that NATO and the West will not allow President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian leader, to develop a nuclear armory or close Hormuz.

    Blog text (12)

  • The Prime Minister made an announcement today from Downing Street regarding the new policy.

Synonyms

Prime Minister
vsDowning Street
522 3.2

The head of a country's government who leads the cabinet and decides policy

refers to the government institution and the leader's offices, not the person alone
Whitehall
vsDowning Street
17 6.3

A wide street in central London with many government offices

refers to the government's leader and their central offices rather than the whole administration
Number Ten
vsDowning Street
  • UK
1 4.6

The British Prime Minister, their home at 10 Downing Street, or the main attacking player in football

is used for the wider government, not only the leader or single residence

Surface Forms

Downing Street singular

Morphology

Downing + street

This is a place-name used metonymically: 'Downing' is a proper name (no lexical meaning) and 'street' only signals a road. A B1 learner who knows the words would not be able to infer that it refers to the British government/Prime Minister without specific cultural/political knowledge, so the institutional meaning is unpredictable from the constituents.

Etymology

Downing Street is often used to mean 'the government' because the Prime Minister's official house, No. 10, is on that street. So when reporters say something came from Downing Street, they mean the people in power, not the road itself.