DOWN(S) Synonyms: 124 Similar and Opposite Words

downs 1 of 2

noun

Definition of downs

plural of down

as in prairie

a broad area of level or rolling treeless country hold a festival on the downs

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downs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of down

as in drops

to strike (someone) so forcefully as to cause a fall downed his opponent with one stunning blow

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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

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

With Indiana in Ohio State territory, Hoosiers quarterback Josh Hoover was crushed from behind by Ohio State defender Jaylen McClain on fourth-and-4, resulting in a sack and a turnover on downs. — Ryan Canfield Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026 Simmons was affected by the pass rush as the Tigers failed to convert third downs, going 6-for-17 on the key down; Ole Miss went 9-for-14. — Pj Green october 17, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2026 The absences of Taylor and Bothwell were big ones for the Bulldogs' offense, which was seven of 15 on third downs and drove inside the LSU 20 only once. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 Despite the absences of two key members of Miami’s secondary, the defense still forced a turnover on downs by stuffing FSU on a fourth and goal attempt from the 2-yard line to maintain the 7-0 lead. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026 This is going to be a time of personal discovery of a couple of ups and downs. — Max Gao, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026 Georgia survived Alabama, coming through again and again in clutch situations as Gunner Stockton was 9-of-10 passing for 104 yards on third downs. — Mike Griffith, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026 And that, with fits and starts, ups and downs, changed little over roughly 90 years. — John E. McDonough, STAT, 16 Oct. 2026 Vik’s case, on the other hand, is way more entertaining, with a lot of ups and downs and last-second saves. — Noel Murray, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026

Verb

Aledo builds momentum, downs Arlington Aledo’s offense has found a groove. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2026 Both teams had ups and downs (mostly downs for the Browns) but Ohio State was always a much better, and much more fun atmosphere. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026 Nearly everyone rides a stationary bike — high tension, low speed — after a match and quickly downs a protein recovery drink. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026 So, Otto sits at the end of the counter, ruminating on the past weeks, then downs his glass of Gordon’s. — Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 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

Noun

Vintage finds, including an antique Swedish farm table, sit alongside custom bronze racks, while a swath of grass has been installed along the length of the shopfront window, nodding to the prairies of Wescoat Pound’s native Midwest.

— Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
On the ground, bike riders and hikers pass prairie plants and native grasses laden with early fall seed — little blue stem, yellow prairie grass, goldenrod, whorled milkweed, purple cone flower, common milkweed, coreopsis and others.

— Susan DeGrane, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of prairie

Verb

The Medicare Advantage and D-SNP list drops authorization for speech and language treatment, group speech treatment, swallowing dysfunction and spinal chiropractic manipulation.

— JP Montoya, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Given the memory chip industry’s history of boom and bust cycles, some industry observers worry that overinvesting by both chipmakers and chip equipment makers could pose a risk if demand drops.

— Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of drops

Verb

If your team is afraid to name real weaknesses, or if leadership dismisses uncomfortable truths, the analysis won’t do what it’s meant to do.

— Nancy Padberg, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Risks, but not existential ones Not everyone dismisses the risk quite so bluntly, though.

— Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 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

In many of his shots, the big sky of Ukraine’s fields and steppe swallows the frame.

— Sophie Pinkham, The New York Review of Books, 10 Oct. 2026
Social Security swallows nearly a quarter of the federal budget and is less than a decade away from insolvency.

— Andrew G. Biggs, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of swallows

Verb

Russian barrage kills a 21-year-old woman The Russian nighttime barrage hit 28 substations and other crucial energy facilities, depriving more than half a million people of electricity, heat and running water, Zelensky said on social media.

— Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
How to make a watch party interactive Dead air during commercials kills the mood fast.

— Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of kills

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downright

downs

downscale

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Style

“Downs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downs. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of downs

noun

verb

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