If a price, level, or amount goes down, it becomes lower or less than it was.
Income from sales tax went down. [VERBPARTICLE]
Crime has gone down 70 percent. [VP amount]
Average life expectancy went down from about 70 to 67. [VP + from/to/by]
2. phrasal verb
If you go downon your knees or on all fours, you lower your body until it is supported by your knees, or by your hands and knees.
I went down on my knees and prayed for guidance. [VERBPARTICLE + on]
3. phrasal verb
In sport, if a person or team goes down, they are defeated in a match or contest.
They went down 2-1 to Australia. [VP num]
[Also VERBPARTICLE]
4. phrasal verb
In sport, if a team goes down, they move to a lower division in a league.
[British]
Only two go down at the end of this season. [VERBPARTICLE]
5. phrasal verb
If you say that a remark, idea, or type of behaviour goes down in a particular way, you mean that it gets a particular kind of reaction from a person or group of people.
Solicitors advised their clients that a tidy look went down well with the magistrates. [VERBPARTICLE adverb]
6. phrasal verb
When the sun goes down, it goes below the horizon.
...the glow left in the sky after the sun has gone down. [VERBPARTICLE]
7. phrasal verb
If a ship goes down, it sinks. If a plane goes down, it crashes out of the sky.
Their aircraft went down during a training exercise. [VERBPARTICLE]
8. phrasal verb
If a computer goes down, it stops functioning temporarily.
The main computers went down for 30 minutes. [VERBPARTICLE]
9. phrasal verb
To go down means to happen.
[informal]
'What's going down? Any ideas?' [VERBPARTICLE]
More Synonyms of go down
See full dictionary entry for go
go down in British English
verb(intr, mainly adverb)
1. (also preposition)
to move or lead to or as if to a lower place or level; sink, decline, decrease, etc
the ship went down this morning
prices are going down
the path goes down to the sea
2.
to be defeated; lose
3.
to be remembered or recorded (esp in the phrase go down in history)
4.
to be received
his speech went down well
5.
(of food) to be swallowed
6. bridge
to fail to make the number of tricks previously contracted for
7. British
to leave a college or university at the end of a term or the academic year
8. (usually foll by with)
to fall ill; be infected
9.
(of a celestial body) to sink or set
the sun went down before we arrived
10. British slang
to go to prison, esp for a specified period
he went down for six months
11. slang, mainly US
to happen
12. go down on
go down in American English
1.
to descend; sink; set
2.
to suffer defeat; lose
3.
to be perpetuated, as in history
4.
to fall; decline
prices went down
5.
to be swallowed
6. Informal
to be accepted with approval
7. Informal
to take place; happen
8. British
to leave a university, esp. upon graduation
See full dictionary entry for go
Examples of 'go down' in a sentence
go down
Again, the van lurches, then seems to go down, then up very sharply.
Scarlett Thomas GOING OUT (2002)
His eyes rolled back and he slumped against the wall, but he didn't go down.
Peter Robinson AFTERMATH (2001)
That was why he had taken his Wit-beast to Dutiful, to save the small cat's life lest he go down.
Robin Hobb THE GOLDEN FOOL: BOOK TWO OF THE TAWNY MAN (2002)
It was rather late by the time we were dressed and ready to go down.
Elizabeth Peters HE SHALL THUNDER IN THE SKY (2000)
In other languages
go down
British English: go down /ɡəʊ daʊn/ VERB
If a price, level, or amount goes down, it becomes lower than it was.
Crime has gone down 70%.
American English: go down
Arabic: يَنْخَفِضُ
Brazilian Portuguese: descer
Chinese: 下降
Croatian: spustiti se
Czech: klesat
Danish: gå ned
Dutch: omlaaggaan
European Spanish: bajar ir
Finnish: laskea
French: baisser
German: hinuntergehen
Greek: ελαττώνομαι
Italian: scendere
Japanese: 下がる
Korean: 내려가다
Norwegian: gå ned
Polish: zejść
European Portuguese: descer
Romanian: a scădea
Russian: понижаться
Latin American Spanish: bajar descender
Swedish: gå ner
Thai: ลดลง
Turkish: azalmak
Ukrainian: знижуватися
Vietnamese: đi xuống
Chinese translation of 'go down'
go down
vi
(= fall)[price, level, amount]下降 (xiàjiàng)
(= set)[sun]落下 (luòxià)
(= sink)[ship]沉没(沒) (chénmò)
(= crash)[computer]死机(機) (sǐjī)
[plane]坠(墜)毁(毀) (zhuìhuǐ)
(Sport, = lose) 输(輸)掉 (shūdiào)
(= be relegated) 降级(級) (jiàngjí)
we went down to Newcastle我们(們)输(輸)给(給)了纽(紐)卡斯尔(爾)队(隊) (wǒmen shū gěi le Niǔkǎsīěrduì)
to go down well/badly[speech, remark, idea]受到/不受欢(歡)迎 (shòudào/bù shòu huānyíng)
to go down with flu得流感 (dé liúgǎn)
vt fus
[stairs, ladder]从(從) ... 下来(來) (cóng ... xiàlái)
See go
All related terms of 'go down'
go down as
If you say that an event or action will go down as a particular thing, you mean that it will be regarded , remembered , or recorded as that thing.
go down on
To go down on someone means to have oral sex with them.
go down with
If you go down with an illness or a disease, you catch it.
go down in history
If someone or something goes down in history , people in the future remember them because of particular actions that they have done or because of particular events that have happened .
go down the drain
to be lost or wasted
go down the hatch
to be eaten or drunk , usually quickly or greedily
go down like ninepins
(of each of a group of people) to become ill very easily and quickly
go down the tube(s)
If a business, economy , or institution goes down the tubes or goes down the tube , it fails or collapses completely.
go down on your knees
to beg desperately for something
go down the wrong way
(of food) to pass into the windpipe instead of the gullet
go/come up/down in the world
If you say that someone has gone up in the world , you mean they have become richer or have a higher social status than before. If you say they have come down in the world , you mean they have become poorer or have a lower social status.
go down like a lead balloon
to be completely unsuccessful and unpopular
to go down like a lead balloon
to be a total failure ; fall flat
a number down and a number to go
If you say that there are a number of things down and a number to go , you are saying how many of the things have already been dealt with and how many remain to be dealt with.
come down in the world
to have less money than you had before and now have a lower social status
( person ) 离(離)开(開) líkāi ( to party, club ) 出去消遣 chūqù xiāoqiǎn ▶ to go out of 离(離)开(開) líkāi ▶ are you going out tonight? 你今晚出去吗(嗎)？ nǐ jīnwǎn chūqù ma?
go on at
( nag ) 向 ... 唠(嘮)唠(嘮)叨叨 xiàng ... láolao-dāodao
go on about
对(對) ... 唠(嘮)唠(嘮)叨叨 duì ... láolao-dāodao
go on
( continue ) 继(繼)续(續) jìxù
go off with
( run away with : lover ) 同 ... 私奔 tóng ... sībēn
go off
( esp Brit : begin to dislike : person, place, idea etc ) 不再喜欢(歡) bù zài xǐhuan
go into
( enter : building, room ) 进(進)入 jìnrù
go in for
( competition ) 参(參)加 cānjiā
go in
( enter ) 进(進)去 jìnqù
go for
( fetch ) 去取 qù qǔ
go by
( vehicle, years, time ) 过(過)去 guòqù
go back to
( activity, work, school ) 回到 huídào
go back on
( promise, agreement ) 背弃(棄) bèiqì
go back
( return ) 返回 fǎnhuí
go away
( leave ) 离(離)开(開) líkāi
go around
( circulate : news, rumour ) 传(傳)播 chuánbō
go along with
( agree with : plan, idea, decision ) 赞(贊)同 zàntóng
go along
去 qù
go ahead
( take place : event ) 发(發)生 fāshēng
go against
( be unfavourable to ) 不利于(於) bù lìyú
go after
( pursue : person ) 追赶(趕) zhuīgǎn
go about
( tackle ) 处(處)理 chǔlǐ
(to go) down the drain
( inf ) 白费(費) báifèi
1 (phrasal verb)
Crime has gone down 70 per cent.
Synonyms
fall
Her weight fell as she excerised more and ate healthily.
drop
Temperatures can drop to freezing at night.
decline
a declining birth rate
slump
Net profits slumped.
decrease
Population growth is decreasing each year.
fall off
Unemployment is rising again and retail buying has fallen off.
dwindle
The factory's workforce has dwindled.
lessen
The burden will lessen if you ask someone for help.
ebb
There were occasions when my enthusiasm ebbed.
depreciate
The demand for foreign currency depreciates the real value of local currencies.
become lower
2 (phrasal verb)
They went down 2-1 to Australia.
Synonyms
lose
The government lost the argument over the pace of reform.
be beaten
go under
suffer defeat
3 (phrasal verb)
the glow left in the sky after the sun has gone down
Synonyms
set
The sun sets at about 4pm in winter.
sink
Far off to the west the sun was sinking.
4 (phrasal verb)
The ship went down during a training exercise.
Synonyms
sink
The boat was beginning to sink fast.
founder
Three ships foundered in heavy seas.
go under
If one firm goes under it could provoke a cascade of bankruptcies.
be submerged
5 (phrasal verb)
It will go down as one of the highlights of my career.
Synonyms
be remembered
be recorded
be recalled
be commemorated
See go
Additional synonyms
in the sense of decline
Definition
to become smaller, weaker, or less important
a declining birth rate
Synonyms
fall,
fail,
drop,
contract,
lower,
sink,
flag,
fade,
shrink,
diminish,
decrease,
slow down,
fall off,
dwindle,
lessen,
wane,
ebb,
slacken
in the sense of decrease
Definition
to make or become less in size, strength, or quantity
Population growth is decreasing each year.
Synonyms
drop,
decline,
lessen,
contract,
lower,
ease,
shrink,
diminish,
fall off,
dwindle,
wane,
subside,
abate,
peter out,
slacken
in the sense of depreciate
The demand for foreign currency depreciates the real value of local currencies.