downs

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of down.

   The team failed to convert on three of its four downs.

   The season has had more downs than ups for the young team.

   Note

   A plural whose meaning shifts with the setting. On a football field, downs are single plays, each running from snap to whistle. In a crossword, the downs are the clues whose answers run vertically. In a bar, they are drinks swallowed in one go. It can also mean depressant pills, or simply negative aspects. A down meaning a grudge, as in having a down on someone, is dated.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of down.

   The goalkeeper downs the striker just outside the penalty area.

   She downs the last of her coffee and rushes out the door.

   Note

   Almost always followed by an object: a gunner downs a plane, a challenger downs the champion, a tired worker downs a coffee. The intransitive use meaning simply to descend is obsolete and rare, so it would sound archaic today. In casual speech the verb can also mean to belittle someone, much like puts down, a register to keep for informal talk.

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