Downs - English meaning

noun

An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.

Usage examples:

He had an accident at the factory

noun

An event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster.

Usage examples:

Emergency measures may be necessary in order to avert a calamity

noun

An event that causes much suffering to many people

Usage examples:

The factory closings were a calamity for the whole city.

noun

An event causing great and usually sudden damage or suffering; a disaster.

Usage examples:

An environmental catastrophe

noun

A sudden event that causes great suffering or destruction

Usage examples:

Losing his job was a financial catastrophe for his family., a chemical plant leak could cause an en…

noun

A time of intense difficulty or danger.

Usage examples:

The current economic crisis

Plural of crisis

noun

A floor of a ship, especially the upper, open level extending for the full length of the vessel.

Usage examples:

He stood on the deck of his flagship

verb

Decorate or adorn brightly or festively.

Usage examples:

Ingrid was decked out in her sunday best

verb

Any of various platforms built into a sailing vessel

noun

A decline in economic, business, or other activity.

Usage examples:

A downturn in the housing market

noun

A reduction in the amount or success of something

Usage examples:

A downturn in car sales

noun

A reduction in the amount or success of something, such as a country's economic activity

Usage examples:

Economic/market downturn thousands of workers have lost their jobs in the economic downturn., there…

verb

Cause the water or other liquid in (something) to run out, leaving it empty or dry.

Usage examples:

We drained the swimming pool

noun

A channel or pipe carrying off surplus liquid, especially rainwater or liquid waste.

Usage examples:

The room's toilet pipes and shower drains carry this waste to a holding tank.

verb

Emptying something by allowing liquid to run out of it

verb

Past of fall.

noun

An amount of timber cut.

noun

A hill or stretch of high moorland, especially in northern england.

Usage examples:

Cross fell

verb

Make or become flat or flatter.

Usage examples:

Her hair had been flattened by the storm

verb

Make flat or flatter

noun

The lower surface of a room, on which one may walk.

Usage examples:

A wooden floor

verb

Provide (a room or area) with a floor.

Usage examples:

A room floored in yellow wood

noun

The flat surface that you walk on when you are inside a building

Usage examples:

A tile floor, hardwood floors, the children sat on the floor., they rented office space on the seco…

verb

Eat or drink (something) greedily.

Usage examples:

He would guzzle his ale

verb

To drink or eat something eagerly or in large amounts

Usage examples:

He sat in the shade, guzzling cold soda.

verb

Drink (alcohol).

Usage examples:

They were imbibing far too many pitchers of beer

verb

To drink

verb

Cause the death of (a person, animal, or other living thing).

Usage examples:

Her father was killed in a car crash

noun

An act of killing, especially of one animal by another.

Usage examples:

A lion has made a kill

noun

(in place names, especially in new york, new jersey, and pennsylvania) a stream, creek, or tributary.

Usage examples:

Kill van kull

idiom

Cause to come or go down

phrasal verb

Demolish a building or other structure.

Usage examples:

The closely packed houses were knocked down

phrasal verb

(especially of a vehicle) strike or collide with someone so as to cause them to fall to the ground.

Usage examples:

I was nearly knocked down by a bus

noun

An unlucky accident.

Usage examples:

Although there were a few minor mishaps, none of the pancakes stuck to the ceiling

noun

An accident or unlucky event

Usage examples:

[ u ] the parade took place without mishap.

noun

The part of a person's or animal's body connecting the head to the rest of the body.

Usage examples:

She had a silver crucifix around her neck

verb

(of two people) kiss and caress amorously.

Usage examples:

We started necking on the sofa

noun

The part of the body that joins the head to the shoulders

Usage examples:

She rubbed her neck., his shirt was open at the neck., a vase with a long neck

phrasal verb

Quickly finish or consume something.

Usage examples:

They polished off most of the sausages

phrasal verb

To finish something quickly and easily

Usage examples:

He polished off two burgers and a mountain of french fries.

adjective

Lying stretched out on the ground with one's face downwards.

Usage examples:

There was a man praying before an idol, lying prostrate

verb

Throw oneself flat on the ground so as to be lying face downwards, especially in reverence or submission.

Usage examples:

She prostrated herself on the bare floor of the church

adjective

Lying flat with the face down

Usage examples:

She lay there prostrate, exhausted after a long day's work.

verb

Drink (something, especially an alcoholic drink) heartily.

Usage examples:

He quaffed pint after pint of good berkshire ale

noun

An alcoholic drink.

Usage examples:

Porter is a dark, malty quaff

verb

To drink something quickly or in large amounts

noun

A change to an opposite direction, position, or course of action.

Usage examples:

A dramatic reversal in population decline in the alps

noun

A complete change of direction, order, or position

Usage examples:

[ c ] in a significant reversal of earlier trends, people are moving back to salt lake city.

noun

A change in something so that it becomes the opposite of what it was before

Usage examples:

What led to the reversal of the policy?, the policy has undergone a complete reversal., a reversal …

verb

Move backwards.

Usage examples:

The lorry reversed into the back of a bus

noun

A complete change of direction or action.

Usage examples:

The gall actuates a reverse of photosynthesis

adjective

Going in or turned towards the direction opposite to that previously stated.

Usage examples:

The trend appears to be going in the reverse direction

noun

A reversal or check in progress.

Usage examples:

A serious setback for the peace process

noun

Something that causes delay or stops progress

Usage examples:

Democrats suffered a serious setback in yesterday’s election, losing all three contested seats.

noun

Something that happens that causes a delay or prevents a process from continuing

Usage examples:

He suffered a setback yesterday in his attempts to take a stake in the mobile phone company., a set…

noun

A sudden upsetting or surprising event or experience.

Usage examples:

It was a shock to face such hostile attitudes

verb

Short for shock absorber.

verb

Arrange (sheaves of grain) in a shock.

Usage examples:

The grain is shocked in the field after it is cut

verb

Go down below the surface of something, especially of a liquid; become submerged.

Usage examples:

He saw the coffin sink below the surface of the waves

noun

A fixed basin with a water supply and outflow pipe.

Usage examples:

I stood at the kitchen sink

noun

Fall or descend to a lower place or level

verb

Drink (something) by taking small mouthfuls.

Usage examples:

I sat sipping coffee

noun

A small mouthful of liquid.

Usage examples:

She took a sip of the red wine

verb

Drink in sips

noun

A tough-skinned terrestrial mollusc which typically lacks a shell and secretes a film of mucus for protection. it can be a serious plant pest.

Usage examples:

Slugs and snails are mainly nocturnal, and the sun's heat can be fatal to slugs and to all mollusc …

verb

Drink (something, typically alcohol) in a large draught; swig.

Usage examples:

She picked up her drink and slugged it straight back

noun

A hard blow.

Usage examples:

Adam frowned and gave him a hard slug in the shoulder.

verb

Drink or eat (something) with a loud sucking noise.

Usage examples:

She slurped her coffee

noun

A loud sucking sound made while drinking or eating.

Usage examples:

She drank it down with a loud slurp

verb

To make sucking noises while eating or drinking

Usage examples:

[ t ] i wanted to tell him not to slurp his soup.

verb

To eat something very quickly in a way that people think is greedy

Usage examples:

He snarfed down the whole cake., i snarfed the book off the table when he wasn't looking., he hacke…

verb

To take something without permission

Usage examples:

I snarfed the book off the table when he wasn't looking.

verb

To use a computer document or file without getting the writer's permission

Usage examples:

He hacked into the computer system and snarfed some images.

verb

Draw into the mouth by contracting the muscles of the lips and mouth to make a partial vacuum.

Usage examples:

They suck mint juleps through straws

noun

An act of sucking something.

Usage examples:

The fish draws the bait into its mouth with a strong suck

exclamation

Used to express derision and defiance.

Usage examples:

Sucks to them!

verb

Take (drink or liquid food) by sips or spoonfuls.

Usage examples:

She supped up her soup delightedly

noun

A sip of liquid.

Usage examples:

He took another sup of wine

verb

Eat supper.

Usage examples:

You'll sup on seafood delicacies

verb

Cause or allow (something, especially food or drink) to pass down the throat.

Usage examples:

She swallowed a mouthful slowly

noun

An act of swallowing something, especially food or drink.

Usage examples:

He downed his drink in one swallow

noun

A migratory swift-flying songbird with a forked tail and long pointed wings, feeding on insects in flight.

Usage examples:

The central aim of our study was to demonstrate that both natural and sexual selection have been im…

verb

Drink in large gulps.

Usage examples:

Dave swigged the wine in five gulps

noun

A large gulp of drink.

Usage examples:

He took a swig of tea

verb

To drink something in large swallows

Usage examples:

He took a swig of coffee.

noun

The equipment required for a task or sport.

Usage examples:

Fishing tackle

verb

Make determined efforts to deal with (a problem or difficult task).

Usage examples:

Police have launched an initiative to tackle rising crime

verb

Seize and throw down an opponent player carrying the ball

verb

Overbalance or cause to overbalance and fall.

Usage examples:

She toppled over when i touched her

verb

To lean forward and fall

Usage examples:

[ t ] a large tree was toppled by the wind., [ t ] the government toppled after several large publi…

verb

To remove a person or organization from a position of power

Usage examples:

This was a secret bid to topple the chairman and take his job., their aim was to topple the superma…

noun

An event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe.

Usage examples:

A tragedy that killed 95 people

noun

A very sad event or situation, esp. one involving death or suffering

Usage examples:

[ u ] his reckless driving was bound to end in tragedy., [ c ] it’s a tragedy (that) so many childr…

noun

A formal examination of evidence by a judge, typically before a jury, in order to decide guilt in a case of criminal or civil proceedings.

Usage examples:

The newspaper accounts of the trial

verb

Test (something, especially a new product) to assess its suitability or performance.

Usage examples:

Teachers all over the uk are trialling the materials

noun

The examination in a court of law of the facts of a case to decide whether a person is guilty of a crime or responsible for an injury to another person

Usage examples:

[ c ] a criminal/civil trial, [ u ] the case will soon go to trial (= begin)., [ u ] she must still…

phrasal verb

To make a mistake or to cause someone to make a mistake

Usage examples:

I did ok on the exam except for the last question, when i got tripped up by a word i didn’t underst…

verb

Make (someone) unhappy, disappointed, or worried.

Usage examples:

The accusation upset her

noun

An unexpected result or situation.

Usage examples:

The greatest upset in boxing history

adjective

Unhappy, disappointed, or worried.

Usage examples:

She looked pale and upset

noun

A change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant.

Usage examples:

Her husband's sharp vicissitudes of fortune

noun

Changes that happen at different times during the life or development of someone or something, especially those that result in conditions being worse

Usage examples:

Losing your job is just one of the vicissitudes of life.