Dictionary

go down en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one.
   • go down to the grave
2. (intransitive, of a heavenly body) To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. ▸ Synonym of set, to disappear below the horizon.
   • It'll be cooler once the sun goes down.
   • You can be heroic and start the process of truly saving the world before the Sun goes down tonight. 2010, Stefan Molyneux, Heroism:
3. (intransitive) To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. ▸ To decrease; to change from a greater value to a lesser one.
   • The unemployment rate has gone down significantly in recent months.
4. (intransitive) To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. ▸ To fall (down); to fall to the floor.
   • The boxer went down in the second round, after a blow to the chin.
5. (intransitive) To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. ▸ To crash.
   • The plane went down thirty miles from shore.
6. (of a ship or boat) To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. ▸ To sink.
   • Courageous went down about an hour ago. Glorious also went down toward the end of the battle, cause unknown. Lion is grounded in the shadows of Terschelling, and will not be recoverable. All of the other battlecruisers have medium to heavy damage of one degree or another, with the exception of Renown, which avoided shell damage but took a torpedo at the last moment and is heading home under tow, and, of course, New Zealand, whose sole casualty is a stoker overcome with heat exhaustion. 2018 October 17, Drachinifel, 27:01 from the start, in Last Ride of the High Seas Fleet - Battle of Texel 1918, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2022:
   • […]meanwhile, Biloxi and Vincennes are both in the process of going down and being abandoned, whilst Miami is right on the knife-edge of being recoverable, with three destroyers clustering around offering pumping and additional damage-control crews to try and keep the light cruiser afloat. 2021 May 5, Drachinifel, 43:40 from the start, in Battle of Samar - What if TF34 was there?, archived from the original on 19 Aug 2022:
   • SMS Pommern went down with all hands at Jutland.
7. (intransitive) To be received or accepted.
   • The news didn't go down well with her parents.
8. (UK, colloquial, intransitive) To be received or accepted. ▸ To be pleasant, etc., when eaten or drunk.
   • That meal went down a treat.
9. (intransitive) To be blamed for something; to be the scapegoat; to go to prison.
   • Rodney's not here; after the shootout, he went down and won't be back for at least a year.
10. (intransitive) To be recorded or remembered (as).
    • A stunning performance from the Republic of Ireland all but sealed progress to Euro 2012 as they crushed nine-man Estonia 4-0 in the first leg of the qualifying play-off tie in A Le Coq Arena in Tallinn. The scoreline did not flatter Ireland who's produced a composed, classy and determined showing that will go down as the highlight of the Giovanni Trapattioni era so far. 2011 November 11, Rory Houston, “Estonia 0-4 Republic of Ireland”, in RTE Sport:
    • Today will go down as a monumental failure.
11. (intransitive, slang) To take place, happen.
    • That was how a drug deal went down? […] Karl shook his head and pulled away from the curb, heading for his next drop and feeling distinctly uncomfortable about the mass of cash now keeping the drugs in his bags company. 2020, Arlana Crane, Mordecai's Ashes:
    • Three cups of coffee, but I can't clear my head from what went down last night. 1978, Lou Gramm, Mick Jones, Blue Morning, Blue Day:
12. (intransitive, of a gang, qualifier:African-American Vernacular, slang) To attack another gang.
13. (intransitive, with-on) To perform oral sex.
    • He felt nervous about going down on his girlfriend for the first time.
    • An older version of me / Is she perverted like me? / Would she go down on you in a theater? 1995, “You Oughta Know”, in Jagged Little Pill, performed by Alanis Morissette:
14. (intransitive) To stop functioning, to go offline.
    • As I say, it was a very hot day, and I found that the air-con was better on 777013 than either 777001 or 777009. There are, however, no emergency hopper windows, so if the air-con goes down on a hot day, you will cook! 2023 January 26, Pip Dunn, “Merseyrail '777s' are OK for commuters”, in RAIL, number 988, page 60:
    • Did the server just go down again? We'll have to reboot it.
15. (intransitive, slang) To be soundly defeated.
    • I reckon we'll beat you lot even without any guys on the team.” Robert gave me a grin. ... So he said to Shannon and me, “Okay, you girls are going down, right Jeremy,” and slapped him a high five. 2014, Tonia Inturrisi, The School Code Part 2: Makeover On The Inside:
    • “It's time for a chicken fight,” Ziggy shouted, grabbing me around the waist. “Fuck yeah. You boys are going down,” Trey shouted[…] 2014, M. M. Koenig, Complicated, page 160:
    • You guys are going down!
    • Fluff started off down the sidewalk, his fluffy tail high in the air, then stopped and looked back at Pandora, saying, “You and your little gang of kitties are going down!” 2019, Leighann Dobbs, Wrong Side of the Claw:
16. (dated, intransitive, qualifier:Oxbridge slang) To physically leave one's university, either permanently or in some other non-transient sense (such as following the end of term).
    • Following the death of her mother, she went down from Cambridge for a few days so as to attend the funeral.
17. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see go, down.
    • I'm going straight down to the store to redeem that bill. 1916, L. Frank Baum, Mary Louise in the Country, Chapter 19:
    • You'll need to go down two floors to get to that office.

Forms

Deriveds

go down the drain · go down the tubes · go down like a cup of sick · go down in flames · go down like a sack of potatoes · go down the khazi · go down like a lead balloon · go down the wrong throat · go down the wrong way · go down the wrong pipe · go down that road · go down swinging · go down the pan · go down like a lead zeppelin · go down like a cup of cold sick · go down the toilet · go down fighting

Relateds

go down on · go down with

Synonyms

set · to disappear below the horizon

Translations (122)

he ירד (descend) · fa فرود آمدن (descend) · pt descer (decrease) · ru спуска́ться (descend) · ba батыу (disappear below the horizon) · txb kārp- (descend) · grc καταβαίνω (descend) · de abgehen (happen) · fi jäädä historiaan (be remembered) · bg па́дам (fall) · nl verminderen (decrease) · fi pudota (descend) · ar نَزَلَ (descend) · la occidō (disappear below the horizon) · fi mennä alas (stop functioning) · nrf d'scendre (descend) · bg сля́за (descend) · fi upota (be received) · ary نزل (descend) · ja 落ちる (stop functioning) · bg па́дам (stop functioning) · ru сни́зиться (decrease) · bg запо́мня (be remembered) · cmn 下降 (decrease) · fi käydä (happen) · fr baisser (decrease) · bg намаля́вам (decrease) · fi laskea (decrease) · el κατεβαίνω (descend) · wa toumer e rak (stop functioning) · ga ísligh (descend) · zlw-ocs sníti (descend) · bg слу́ча се (happen) · fi sattua (happen) · bg прие́мам (be received) · qu uraykuy (descend) · ru запо́мниться (be remembered) · pam tipa (descend) · nl afdalen (descend) · pt tombar (fall) · fr être consideré (comme) (be remembered) · la degredior (descend) · da ske (happen) · bg спу́скам се (descend) · pt cair (fall) · de absteigen (descend) · af afgaan (descend) · cmn 下降 (descend) · fi kaatua (fall) · fr tomber (fall) · ba төшөү (decrease) · bg па́дна (fall) · fi olla (happen) · ba байыу (disappear below the horizon) · arz نزل (descend) · fi vaipua (descend) · ba төшөү (descend) · ca baixar (descend) · pt pôr-se (disappear below the horizon) · es desatarse (happen) · ru уменьша́ться (decrease) · ru опусти́ться (descend) · fr diminuer (decrease) · es pasar (happen) · fi mennä alas (descend) · pam kuldas (descend) · te దిగు (descend) · ru снижа́ться (decrease) · cmn 下去 (descend) · fi upota (descend) · ja 降りる (descend) · zdj hutswa (disappear below the horizon) · ga ísligh (decrease) · wa toumer (fall) · fi kaatua (stop functioning) · pt cair (stop functioning) · de passieren (happen) · wa dischinde (descend) · pt descer (descend) · uk спусти́тися (descend) · bg па́дна (stop functioning) · bg спи́рам (stop functioning) · bg запо́мням (be remembered) · es armarse (happen) · de hinabsteigen (descend) · ko 내려가다 (descend) · bg сли́зам (descend) · fi tippua (descend) · de abnehmen (decrease) · fi tapahtua (happen) · gl diminuír (decrease) · uga 𐎊𐎗𐎄 (descend) · bg по́мня (be remembered) · bg прие́ма (be received) · ja 降下する (descend) · ru уме́ньшиться (decrease) · fr tomber en panne (stop functioning) · gl baixar (decrease) · ary هبط (descend) · fi muistaa (be remembered) · fi painua historiaan (be remembered) · ru опуска́ться (descend) · ru происходи́ть (happen) · fr descendre (descend) · wa baxhî (decrease) · fi vajota (descend) · wa tchaire (fall) · egy h-A-D54 (descend) · ru спусти́ться (descend) · be спусці́цца (descend) · bg намале́я (decrease) · bg спра́ (stop functioning) · fi laskea (disappear below the horizon) · ko 지다 (disappear below the horizon) · bg слу́чвам се (happen) · fi laskeutua (descend) · tl bumaba (descend) · de heruntergehen (descend) · fi vedota (be received) · uk спуска́тися (descend) · cic akkowa (descend) · be спуска́цца (descend)