Skip to main content
down

down

34 4.8
Soft, fine feathers on young birds and under adult feathers
  • noun
  • /daʊn/
translation icon : plumón
  • The warm down filling in my jacket keeps me cozy during the winter.

Examples

  • We have this down pillow so soft.

  • A tiny feather, released from his puffy down jacket, lifted into the air between them.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Her face was so close he could see the down on her upper lip.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • All too soon, the down is lost, giving way to rough fur and scales.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • When the bread was done, I began to wrap myself in a down coat, mittens, and earmuffs.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Young ducklings are covered in soft down that helps keep them warm.

  • She chose a down comforter for her bed because of its softness and warmth.

Synonyms

goose down
vsdown
3 3.8

Soft fine feathers from under a goose used as warm filling

is the general label for these insulating feathers from various bird species
down feather
vsdown
1 3.2

A very soft feather under a bird's outer feathers that keeps the bird warm

is the general term for soft insulating feathers used as filling and insulation
undercoat
vsdown
1 6.1

A thick soft layer of fur under the longer outer hairs that keeps an animal warm

is related by insulation function but differs because it is fur not feathers
plumule
vsdown
  • Specialized
9.9

A soft, fluffy feather that covers baby birds and sometimes adults

is broader, covering such juvenile feathers as well as adult insulating layers
eiderdown
vsdown
8.9

Soft feathers from the eider duck used to fill warm bedding

is the wider term that includes such prized filling from many birds
duck down
vsdown
2.8

Soft fine feathers from a duck used to fill warm bedding and clothing

is the broad category for feathers used as filling in bedding and clothing
swansdown
vsdown
  • Archaic
8.2

A soft filling that people make from swan feathers and use in clothing and bedding

is the encompassing term for this material from various birds and animals
swan's down
vsdown
8.2

Soft fine feathers under a swan's outer feathers used to fill clothes or bedding

is the general name covering comparable insulating feathers from different animals

Idioms

208 1.9

Moving both ways along the whole length of something

188 3.7

At a time in the future

deep down
  • Informal
117 3.5

In your real feelings or beliefs that you do not show

92 4.4

At some point in the future

Avoid getting noticed to stay out of trouble

hands down
  • Informal
34 3.2

Very easily and much better than others

A repeated movement where both feet leave the ground to show excitement

down memory lane
  • Informal
23 6.5

Remembering happy or important times from the past

down to the wire
  • Informal
14 7.0

Not decided until the very last moment before a deadline

12 5.5

Tell people firmly what they must do

12 8.8

To betray someone to get something for yourself

down pat
  • Informal
8 7.5

Learned so well you can do it without thinking

8 5.6

Relax and enjoy yourself after being serious or busy

Having bad luck, often with money

hands-down
  • Informal
7 4.1

Won or achieved very easily without trying hard

Prepare for trouble by taking steps to stay safe

5 5.8

Feeling sad and low

To continue until the last possible moment while the result is not known

5 5.9

Reach a point where the result is not decided until the last moment

5 8.1

Completely unable to move or continue because of extreme tiredness

Sick with the flu and unable to go out

4 5.5

To make an audience clap and cheer loudly

To openly challenge someone in front of others

4 7.7

Poor and without a home or money

To suddenly speak angrily and criticize someone for a small mistake

Start talking about the most important details

3 7.6

Make someone feel less proud by criticizing or embarrassing them

3 7.4

When things become very difficult and you must act

2 5.1

At a later time

To start dealing with the most important details

Found unprepared and embarrassed when something unexpected happens

2 4.2

Money people waste when they make a bad choice

1 6.5

Very tired and weighed down by too much work or worry

Able to get better after a setback

Completely right for someone or something

1 4.6

Having too much work or responsibility to manage

Make someone feel a sudden strong fear or excitement

Cause someone to feel a sudden strong fear or excitement

1 7.8

Feeling sad or unhappy

To treat someone badly when they already have problems

A sudden feeling of fear or excitement that moves along your back

1 8.2

To take firm action to punish someone

1 9.9

Aware of and interested in what young people like

1 9.9

Completely ruined or wasted and no longer useful

To stop acting like you are better than other people

1 8.1

Doing something that leads nowhere useful

down a dark path
  • Informal
1 8.2

To start behaving in a bad or dangerous way that harms your life

1 8.2

Looking old and in poor condition because of poverty

Make someone accept ideas or opinions they do not want by pressuring them

Help someone stop being sad and start smiling

To vomit into a toilet after drinking too much

8.7

Make a party very lively and exciting

Compounds

138 2.0

With the top where the bottom usually is

70 3.1

A first payment you make when you buy something and pay the rest in later payments

47 4.9

A quick search of someone's clothes by touching to find hidden items

42 4.1

A person who is practical and sensible in a friendly, not showy way

31 3.7

Leaving a position of authority or responsibility

30 1.8

Turned so the top is where the bottom normally is

man down
  • Jargon
29 6.5

A person who is injured or unable to move

24 4.4

In very poor condition and not working because of age or neglect

21 3.6

A formal meal or meeting where people sit together to talk

Down syndrome
  • Specialized
19 3.3

A condition present at birth caused by an extra chromosome that makes learning harder and gives typical physical features

17 3.0

A used piece of clothing or item given from one person to another

watered-down
  • Informal
16 4.6

Something that is less strong or useful because people change it to avoid problems

11 4.2

An act of completely taking down a building so it no longer exists

9 3.1

A shirt or collar with the ends fastened by buttons

drop-down
  • Specialized
9 3.9

A list of choices that appears below when you click it

put-down
  • Offensive
5 6.6

A remark that makes someone feel small or embarrassed

A shirt with collar points that fasten down with buttons

drop-down menu
  • Specialized
4 3.2

A list of options that appears below a menu item so you can choose one

4 3.0

To move something like curtains or equipment down to a lower place

write-down
  • Specialized
4 6.4

A reduction in the value of something a company owns to show it is now worth less

stand-down
  • Jargon
4 6.3

A temporary pause in military activity to let troops rest and stop being on alert

3 7.9

Very poor and without money, a job, or a home

3 3.8

Soft fine feathers from under a goose used as warm filling

3 4.6

A decrease in amount or level, for example moving to a lower job

Workers stay at their workplace and refuse to work until demands are met

Has only the basic parts and no extra features

A cake you bake with fruit on the bottom then flip so it sits on top

sit-down
  • Archaic
2 6.4

Workers who stay in their workplace and refuse to leave until the employer meets their demands

low-down
  • Slang
1 8.5

True information about something often not widely known

dressing down
  • Informal
1 6.1

A severe scolding from someone in charge, often in front of other people

dressing-down
  • Informal
1 7.7

A strong angry talk that tells someone they did something wrong

1 3.2

A very soft feather under a bird's outer feathers that keeps the bird warm

1 7.7

A person with no money, job, or home

1 4.1

Carrying a heavy load like bags or boxes

step-down
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A device like a transformer that lowers electrical voltage

1 4.0

Describing clothing or objects that have been used and are given to someone else

A dress with a collar and buttons down the front

A shirt whose collar has buttons that keep it in place

7.4

An act of saying you were wrong or changing your view

9.9

A person from Maine, often from the eastern coast

down quark
  • Specialized
9.9

A very small particle inside protons and neutrons with an electric charge of minus one third

down-bow
  • Specialized
8.8

A bow movement from the part near your hand toward the tip when playing a string instrument

6.5

Further down on the page below the current section

2.8

Soft fine feathers from a duck used to fill warm bedding and clothing

Very violent and intense, often about a fight or argument

A large British sheep with a dark face and a thick coat that people keep for meat and wool

4.1

Owned before and then given or sold to another person

Older family members give things like clothes or recipes to younger ones

7.0

A rule that limits how much something can rise

push-down queue
  • Specialized
7.7

A pile where the last item put on is the first taken off

push-down stack
  • Specialized
6.0

A list where the last item added is the first removed

push-down storage
  • Specialized
7.8

A way to store items so the last one added is the first taken out

push-down store
  • Specialized
8.2

A storage where the last thing put in comes out first, like a pile of plates

push-down list
  • Specialized
7.5

A list where the last thing you put in comes out first

right-down
  • Informal
7.2

Shows that something is completely bad

A very soft wool fabric used for baby clothes

Soft fine feathers under a swan's outer feathers used to fill clothes or bedding

Money kept to pay for a planned new project or a large cost

step-down transformer
  • Specialized
5.6

A device that lowers high electric voltage so appliances work safely

How Warm

eiderdown
1 8.8
down
34 4.8
cotton
115 1.0
straw
79 1.0

Surface Forms

down singular
downs plural

Etymology

Down for soft feathers comes from an old Germanic word dūna for the soft under-feathers of birds, so down is the light, warm filling used in jackets and bedding.