Decreasing, Losing, or Weakening (Down): English Vocabulary List

to gradually decrease in intensity, volume, or activity

"The wind dies down after sunset."

"The wind finally died down after several hours so the sailors could safely leave the harbor and continue their journey."

to decrease the number of possibilities or choices

"Narrow down your choices to three."

"We need to narrow down our list of potential candidates to just three people who will come for final interviews."

to reduce a number to the closest lower whole number

"Round down the decimal number."

"The teacher told the students to round down the decimal to the nearest whole number for the sake of simplicity."

to decrease in quantity or supply as a result of items being sold

"Sell down your shares quickly."

"The investor decided to sell down his shares in the company after the stock price dropped significantly."

to rapidly decline

"The economy spiraled down rapidly."

"The company's profits began to spiral down after the new competitor entered the market with a cheaper and better product."

to willingly step back from a position or authority, and allow someone else to take over

"The general will stand down."

"After years of dedicated service, the CEO decided to stand down and let the new generation lead."

to voluntarily resign or retire from a job or position

"The CEO steps down next month."

"The CEO announced that he would step down from his position after twenty years of leading the company successfully."

to reduce the intensity of something

"Tone down your criticism slightly."

"The speaker was asked to tone down his aggressive rhetoric because it was making some members of the audience uncomfortable."

to reduce the intensity or force of something

"They tamp down the noise."

"The mayor tried to tamp down public fears by holding a press conference to explain the safety measures clearly."

to make someone or something in power lose their position

"Bring down the government."

"The scandal brought down the entire government and new elections were called for the following month."

to have a decrease in price, temperature, etc.

"Prices will come down."

"We are hoping the high temperatures will finally come down next week."

(of a price, temperature, etc.) to decrease in amount or level

"Prices go down."

"Due to increased competition and improved production methods, the cost of the technology is expected to go down."

to lower the price of something, often temporarily

"They mark down prices."

"The department store decided to mark down all winter clothing significantly to clear out old inventory before spring."

to move with a lower speed or rate of movement

"Slow down before the intersection."

"Drivers must slow down when approaching a school zone because children may be crossing the street."

to turn a switch on a device so that it makes less sound, heat, etc.

"Turn down the music."

"Could you please turn down the volume on the television; it's quite loud for this hour?"

to make something such as a law, suggestion, etc. less intense, complicated, or forceful, typically by removing or reducing certain parts of it

"They water down rules."

"The government felt compelled to water down the proposed legislation to gain broader support from opposing political factions."

to slowly weaken someone's emotional or mental strength over time, often due to continuous pressure or challenges

"He will wear down."

"Constant criticism and unreasonable demands from management began to wear down the employee's morale and motivation over time."

to slowly reduce the activity of a business or organization, leading to its eventual closure

"They will wind down operations."

"The company decided to slowly wind down its operations, informing employees about the gradual closure over the next year."

to use up all of one's energy, especially to the point of stopping or ceasing to function

"The battery will run down."

"If you leave the lights on all night, the car battery will eventually run down completely."