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to down

to down

22 5.4
Eat or drink something quickly and completely
  • verb
  • /daʊn/
  • Informal
translation icon : zamparse
  • He quickly downed his drink before heading out to the party.
  • downed a drink
  • downed a glass
  • downed a bottle

Examples

  • Once he had downed the pills, he relaxed and quit tensing himself against the pain.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Trembling violently, he raised the cup to his mouth and downed the contents to prove it wasn't poisoned.

    Academic text (2000)
  • God, the last thing I remember was downing a drink at that club.

  • Phone to his ear, Harry downs another drink and sits up.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The man with the headache is downing one shot after another.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • When she downed her last swallow, she said, "I guess it's past time to go to bed."

    Academic text (2009)
  • He downed the glass right there.

  • I picked up the bowl and downed the soup in several gulps.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Three cups of coffee, downed in quick succession, had restored his good humor remarkably.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Two truckers chatted at the counter, polishing off key lime pie and downing bottomless cups of coffee.

    Fiction book (1996)

Synonyms

to go through
vsto down
161 3.3

To eat or use something quickly until it is finished

matches quick complete consumption but is less about using items
to consume
vsto down
149 2.4

To eat or drink something

adds the idea of doing this quickly and completely
to kill
vsto down
  • Informal
46 8.5

Drink an alcoholic drink or bottle completely in one session

is about quick complete intake generally, not only alcohol
to chug
vsto down
  • Informal
31 5.0

To drink something quickly in large gulps

includes quick complete intake but applies to both eating and drinking
to pop
vsto down
  • Informal
25 8.2

To drink an alcoholic drink quickly

is quick and complete but not necessarily informal or drink specific
to slam down
vsto down
  • Informal
14 6.0

Put something down hard so it makes a loud noise or quickly drink something

is quick and complete but neutral about forceful noisy action
to devour
vsto down
13 2.9

To eat food quickly because you are very hungry

is quick and complete but not always strongly eager
to get down
vsto down
10 4.4

To manage to swallow food or medicine when it is hard

is about speed and completeness rather than the difficulty of swallowing
to suck down
vsto down
  • Informal
9 7.7

To drink or eat something very quickly, often without pausing

is quick and complete but does not always imply greediness
to wolf down
vsto down
  • Informal
7 5.8

Eat food very quickly when you are very hungry

is quick and complete but neutral about hunger or eagerness
to gulp down
vsto down
  • Informal
6 3.1

To eat or drink something quickly without stopping

is quick and complete but not necessarily gulping or greedy
to pour down
vsto down
  • Informal
2 5.7

To drink all of a glass or bottle quickly in one go

matches quick complete intake but is specifically about liquids
to demolish
vsto down
  • Informal
2 3.7

Eat all the food very quickly

is focused on fast complete intake without stressing enthusiasm
to drink down
vsto down
1 3.2

To empty a glass quickly in one long gulp

is quick and complete but applies equally to eating or drinking
to snack down
vsto down
  • Informal
1 7.7

To eat small amounts of food quickly and casually

is quick and complete but usually refers to full meals or drinks
to bolt down
vsto down
  • Informal
3.7

To eat or drink very quickly, often without chewing

is fast and complete but less extreme about pausing or chewing
to garbage down
vsto down
  • Informal
8.9

To eat a lot of food quickly and greedily

is quick and complete but not necessarily large quantity or greed
to swill down
vsto down
  • Informal
8.0

To drink a lot very quickly, often alcohol

is quick and complete but not limited to drinking or alcohol
to toss off
vsto down
  • Informal
8.4

To drink a whole glass quickly, often of alcohol

is quick and complete but also applies to nonalcoholic intake
to belt down
vsto down
  • UK
8.5

To drink quickly, often alcohol

is fast and complete but not necessarily limited to alcohol

Antonyms

56 2.0

To eat small, gentle bites slowly or a little at a time

47 4.1

To enjoy something slowly and fully while noticing every part

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

Phrasal Verbs

1.0

Move from standing into a chair or onto the ground

812 1.0

To lower something from your hands onto a surface

687 1.4

To move or act more slowly

to calm down
  • Informal
594 1.4

To become less angry, excited, or upset

541 2.9

Stop a machine, business, or system from working

361 4.0

To depend on the main point

361 3.5

To climb down from a horse or similar animal

351 3.8

To depend on one main thing

321 1.9

To become less in amount, size, or value

317 3.7

To lose a competition or fight

312 2.9

Refuse an offer, invitation, or request

250 1.0

Suddenly move from a standing position to the ground or a lower level

221 2.8

To become lower, for example temperature or prices

221 1.0

To put your body flat on a bed to rest or sleep

214 1.1

Put information on paper to help you remember it later

213 2.8

To separate something into smaller parts to explain or study it

212 3.3

To search for someone or something until you find them

210 2.9

Make someone feel disappointed by not doing what you promised

207 4.4

Fire at a plane or missile so it falls to the ground

194 3.2

To stop working because of a problem

191 2.7

Make the sound or heat from something lower, for example music

190 1.0

Help someone into a seat by showing or guiding them

187 3.4

To stop working for a short time

180 2.0

Move something slowly from a higher to a lower position

179 4.4

To start doing work or a task seriously

173 3.0

To start living a quiet, steady life by having a regular job or a family

148 3.3

Give up an important job so someone else can take over

148 3.9

Search for and find someone or something after a lot of effort

to take down
  • Informal
144 5.1

To say cruel things to make people think less of someone

129 1.3

To fall from the sky, as rain, snow, or ash

129 3.5

Make a list of choices smaller until only a few remain

128 4.6

To make a leader or government lose power

123 3.7

To destroy a building or other structure completely

123 5.1

To stop doing a job, duty or action after someone tells you to

121 3.0

To destroy a building or object completely by fire

117 2.4

To write something so you do not forget it

113 8.6

Agree with and support an idea or plan

111 3.9

To lose control of your feelings and cry or collapse

107 3.7

To stop insisting because others oppose you

102 1.8

To crouch or kneel down to a lower position

94 2.9

To stop operating permanently, like a shop or company

94 5.5

To kill an animal to stop its suffering

93 4.3

To become ill with a disease like a cold

93 3.0

Use force to make someone or something fall to the ground

93 4.0

To be remembered for something important by many people

89 3.0

Make an amount or level lower

87 4.2

To make someone feel sad or discouraged

84 3.8

To sink into water, like a boat that hits something

to boil down
  • Informal
78 4.2

Come to the main point or idea

76 1.0

To move below the horizon, like the sun at sunset

to lay down
  • Formal
70 3.9

Officially set a rule or law that people must follow

70 1.7

To put something or someone down gently on a surface

65 2.7

To make something smaller in amount or number

63 3.8

To take strong action to stop illegal or wrong behavior

57 3.2

Make a building or wall fall down suddenly

To become quiet and calm after being excited

to put down
  • Offensive
55 4.9

To make someone feel unimportant by saying bad things about them

to look down on
  • Offensive
53 3.7

Think you are better than someone and treat them as less important

to double down
  • Informal
53 6.5

To try harder to continue something even when people disagree or it is risky

52 3.4

To write something down on paper or a screen

to gun down
  • Offensive
52 7.4

To shoot someone, often causing serious harm or death

Cause a big sudden change that leaves people confused

50 7.4

Declare a law or rule no longer valid

49 2.0

With the front side turned down toward a surface

49 1.9

To make a tree or plant fall by cutting it at the base

49 3.6

Give objects, knowledge, or traditions to younger people in your family

48 2.8

Give traditions, stories, or things to younger family members

46 3.0

To remove something that is fixed or standing, for example stage equipment

46 2.7

To become less strong or loud over time

45 3.6

To land on the ground after a flight

45 3.4

To leave people or things at a place from a vehicle

44 3.7

To make something less strong, for example a sound, color or feeling

44 1.6

To move something from a high place to a lower place

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 Fast

to down
  • Informal
22 5.4
to chug
  • Informal
31 5.0
to gulp
26 2.9
to drink
1.0
to sip
127 1.0

Surface Forms

down infinitive
downed past
downed past participle
downing present participle
downs third person singular

Etymology

Down meaning to eat or drink quickly comes from the image of sending something 'down' into your stomach, so to down food is to swallow it fast.