to take down
82
5.1
- phrasal verb
- /teɪk daʊn/
- Informal
- They get to take down the powers that be for all of us.
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Watch on YouTubeBut why would those guys want to take down Nixon?
- But why would those guys want to take down Nixon?
- They get to take down the powers that be for all of us.
- As people become more notorious, the desire to take them down also increases in kind.
- But if you take down Lincoln, you've taken down the idea of America.
- They, they, they can take you down no matter what good work you do.
- And now he's taking down the entire country.
Examples
-
Every chance he gets, he takes me down a peg.
-
As people become more notorious, the desire to take them down also increases in kind.
-
They, they, they can take you down no matter what good work you do.
-
And they will then take themselves down sometimes to take you down.
-
So when you take him down this time, you take him down hard, okay?
-
I want you three to promise you'll take me down, no different from the rest.
Fiction book (1996) -
"Gentlemen," she said, "we've got to take these people down."
Fiction book (1999) -
But if you take down Lincoln, you've taken down the idea of America.
-
University leaders are generally quick to take down and denounce hateful speech.
Academic text (2017) -
The comedian took down his critics with a sharp, witty reply.
Synonyms
208
6.1
Make someone feel very ashamed and foolish, often in front of others
78
6.3
To harm someone's reputation so others stop trusting them
62
4.9
To make someone feel unimportant by saying bad things about them
54
5.9
To criticize someone strongly
52
5.0
To make someone or something seem not important
43
6.8
To make someone feel less respected or important
40
7.8
To say bad things about someone without a good reason to make them seem less important
38
4.5
To make someone lose respect or honor by doing something shameful
29
5.1
To treat someone so they feel ashamed or less respected
23
8.2
To say angry, insulting things about someone or something
13
7.9
To speak badly about someone in public to hurt their reputation
13
6.9
Tear something into many pieces or say very bad things about it
12
4.2
Completely destroy an idea, argument, or reputation
5
8.1
To make quick, unfair critical remarks about someone or their ideas
2
7.6
Make someone feel less proud by criticizing or embarrassing them
1
6.8
Tell someone angrily that they did something wrong
1
9.9
Say someone's work or ideas are not important and make them feel small
1
7.0
To say things that make other people feel small
1
8.6
To say bad things about someone to make them look worse
To speak badly about someone or something in public
Antonyms
How Damaging
∞
2.0
- Offensive
208
6.1
- Informal
82
5.1
33
7.7
653
3.3
228
1.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to remove or dismantle' is directly derivable from combining 'take' (to grasp/remove) with the directional particle 'down' (indicating lowering or removal); this fits the common verb+particle compositional pattern in English. Because the sense is literal and follows a cross-linguistically common motion/placement logic, an average B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer the meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
Take down here comes from the image of taking someone down, like pulling them off a stage so they fall and look smaller, which becomes a way to show loss of respect. So it means 'to criticize or humiliate someone'.