downs 1 of 2

noun

Definition of downsnext
plural of down
as in prairie
a broad area of level or rolling treeless country hold a festival on the downs

Synonyms & Similar Words

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downs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of down
1
as in drops
to strike (someone) so forcefully as to cause a fall downed his opponent with one stunning blow

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in sips
to take into the stomach through the mouth and throat downing slices of pizza and guzzling bottles of soda

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in dismisses
to reject by or as if by a vote all attempts to ban indoor smoking had been downed by the town council

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of downs
Noun
Yes, the Chiefs could and probably should run the ball more often on early downs. — Sam McDowell 31, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026 At 6-foot-6 and more than 300 pounds, Biggers could provide Miami with an edge-setting option capable of playing outside on early downs while also moving inside in heavier defensive fronts. — Tyler M. Carmona july 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026 He’s gone through ups and downs, and there’s a lot to learn from the world of Jon Banks as to how to stay afloat on this rollercoaster ride of a career. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2026 Last week, The Athletic spoke to Watt about that, what brought him to Burnley to begin with, the ups and downs of the past four seasons and how the club might break that cycle (by dropping the downs, not the ups). — Matt Slater, New York Times, 31 July 2026 The track has a complete thesis about the ups and downs of art making, articulated almost entirely in sound. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026 As a psychologist, the 71-year-old has talked clients through the ups and downs of this time, heard their regrets, and learned about factors that cause some people to struggle and others to thrive. — Anna Borges, Washington Post, 24 July 2026 James’ tenure with the Lakers was filled with ups and downs, however. — Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 24 July 2026 Based on his experiences riding the up and downs of the doc scene over the past 20 years, Leifer adds luck and being in the right place at the right time also play their part. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 July 2026
Verb
Springtown takes edge in 7-4A race, downs Decatur Springtown got the inside track on the District 7-4A championship after beating Decatur 4-2 in 8 innings on Monday night at Decatur High School. — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026 Greene downs it, throws the kid his jersey, smiles, and all is right with the world. — Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Feb. 2026 But Sarah Graves gives a bit too much room and Penn downs a 3-pointeron the wing. — Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 30 Nov. 2025 In between questions about Nineties cultural touchstones like Friends, Space Jam, Beavis and Butthead, the Spice Girls, and Sir-Mix-A-Lot — during which Kravitz racks up a lot of points and Butler downs a lot of shots — the pair also discusses working on Caught Stealing. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downs
  1. prairie
  2. drops
  3. sips
  4. dismisses
  5. pampa
  6. floors
  7. swallows
  8. kills
Noun
  • Skall Studio is a mainstay on the Copenhagen Fashion Week schedule, best known for its billowing cotton prairie dresses, chic linen suits, and cozy woolen sweaters.
    — Bella Webb, Vogue, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Davis’s journey to San Jose began on his parents’ farm in Osage County, a land of hills, prairies and the Osage Nation.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 31 July 2026
Definition of prairie
Verb
  • The Hour of the Star, in particular, drops us into the electric landscape of 1970s Brazil, following a young (ugly) girl’s love (situationship) with a rat of a boyfriend while weaving through themes of identity, inwardness, and social class.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Adequate protein also matters, as do iron, zinc and vitamin D; these are commonly depleted when caloric intake drops sharply, which independently can lead to shedding.
    — Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of drops
Verb
  • The crowd sips matcha dragon fruit cocktails and stares, aghast.
    — Dina Cheney, Washington Post, 2 Aug. 2026
  • California returns to its original brand collaboration with BLQK coffee, and the team sips espresso during timeouts.
    — Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of sips
Verb
  • Warsh, conversely, advocates for the Fed to be more opaque, a strategy the author dismisses as misguided.
    — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • One automatically ascribes fraud to results that are often predictable, even routine; the other dismisses legitimate concerns as conspiracy theories.
    — Andrew E. Busch, The Conversation, 23 July 2026
Definition of dismisses
Noun
  • Hundreds, thousands of solar panels are distributed like macropixels among ravines, pampas, slopes, and wherever there’s room for them.
    — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
  • Participants travel by horseback to South American landscapes few people ever reach, from vast valleys and sweeping pampas to ancient lenga forests and high plateaus populated with condors.
    — Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 6 June 2026
Definition of pampa
Verb
  • Will another team put together a deal for Bagent that floors the Bears?
    — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2026
  • But each release specifies exactly which warehouse and even which floors the barrels for a particular batch were matured, which is similar to Hardin’s Creek.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 13 Oct. 2025
Definition of floors
Verb
  • Yancy falls to the ground, and the hallway effectively swallows him up, leaving him heartbroken and alone.
    — Barry Levitt, Time, 23 July 2026
  • There also tends to be an excess of fabric to accommodate differing torso lengths, which swallows my 5-foot-2 frame.
    — Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 21 July 2026
Definition of swallows
Verb
  • To make matters worse for Gen, Kayley kills it in her first hours of chief-stew-dom.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Ozone sterilization Ozone sterilization kills bacteria and fungus.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of kills

Browse Nearby Words

downright
downs
downscale
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Cite this Entry

“Downs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downs. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of downs for Spanish Speakers

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