# low

Pronunciation: say "LOH" US /ˈloʊ/, UK /ˈləʊ/

## Adjective

1. Small in amount, quantity, value, force, or level, including containing only a small amount of a substance.
   - Simple: Small in amount, number, or level, or having only a little of something, like low in sugar.
   - _Interest rates stayed low for most of the decade._
   - _Bake the custard at a low temperature so it does not curdle._
2. Not high; near the ground or another usual reference level, or even below it.
   - Simple: Close to the ground, or not far above it.
   - _A low stone wall separated the two gardens._
   - _The bridge is too low for tall trucks to pass under._
3. Not high in status, esteem, rank, or dignity; of inferior quality.
   - Simple: Having little importance or respect, or not of good quality.
   - _Servants of low rank slept in the attic rooms._
   - _In earlier centuries, actors were often regarded as people of low standing, little better than vagrants._
4. Below the normal or average height, level, or extent; less elevated or less full than usual.
   - Simple: Smaller in height than usual, or below the usual level.
   - _The lake was unusually low by late August._
   - _The attic ceiling is unusually low, so tall guests have to duck._
5. Constituting the bottom, minimum, or worst point of something; marking a nadir.
   - Simple: At the bottom point, where something is at its worst or smallest.
   - _The recession reached its low point in the second quarter._
   - _The low point of the trip came when we lost our passports and missed the last train._
10. Nearly depleted or lacking in supply; close to being used up or running out.
   - Simple: Almost used up, or not having much of something left.
   - _Supplies ran low during the second week of the hike._
   - _The printer is low on ink again, so order another cartridge._
11. Quiet or soft in volume; spoken or sounding gently rather than loudly.
   - Simple: Quiet and soft, not loud.
   - _They kept their voices low in the reading room of the library._
   - _He answered in a low murmur that the others could barely hear._
12. Deep or grave in pitch, the result of comparatively slow sound vibrations; the opposite of high or shrill.
   - Simple: Making a deep sound, not a high or squeaky one.
   - _The cello's low notes filled the back of the hall._
   - _A low rumble of thunder rolled across the plains._
13. Depressed or dejected in mood; sad, discouraged, or lacking in spirits.
   - Simple: Feeling sad and without much energy or hope.
   - _After the funeral, she was low for weeks and rarely went out._
   - _Failing the bar exam left him feeling low and unsure of his future._
14. Wrong, mean, or unfair in a way that earns contempt, describing a person's character or something they do, such as a trick.
   - Simple: Mean, unfair, or wrong in a way that makes people think less of the person who did it.
   - _Taking credit for his intern's research was a low trick, and the whole department knew it._
   - _Taking credit for a friend's hard work is about as low as it gets._
16. Lacking health, strength, or vitality; feeble or weak.
   - Simple: Weak and without strength or energy, often because of sickness.
   - _After weeks of fever, she was too low to cross the room without help._
   - _By the end of the week the old horse was so low that the vet doubted it would survive the night._
18. Of a garment or neckline: cut to leave the neck and upper chest exposed.
   - Simple: Cut so that it shows the neck and the top of the chest.
   - _Her low gown drew glances, so she draped a shawl across her shoulders and chest._
   - _The bridesmaids' dresses were elegant but not too low for the church ceremony._
21. Designed to run at a slow speed, or at the slowest speed available.
   - Simple: Made for moving or working at a slow speed.
   - _Shift into a low gear before the road starts to climb._
   - _On its low setting, the ceiling fan barely stirs the air._
23. Of a pitch: passing below the batter's knees.
   - Simple: Passing below the batter's knees when the ball reaches home plate.
   - _The 3–2 pitch was low, and the batter walked._
   - _He chased a low slider in the dirt and struck out swinging._
24. Disparaging; assigning or expressing little value, merit, or excellence.
   - Simple: Showing that you think someone or something is not good or important.
   - _She has a low opinion of restaurants that rush their customers._
   - _The old professor held the new textbook in low regard and refused to assign it to his students._
26. Of a card, denomination, or suit: lesser in value or rank than others in the game.
   - Simple: Worth less than other cards or suits in a card game.
   - _She drew nothing but low cards and folded before the bets got serious._
   - _In this variant, aces count low, so a run of ace-two-three is possible._
27. Of a speech sound, especially a vowel: made with the tongue positioned low in the mouth, leaving a large opening between tongue and palate.
   - Simple: Made with the mouth open wide and the tongue held down, like the 'ah' in 'father'.
   - _The vowel in 'palm' is low, produced with the jaw dropped and the tongue kept flat._
   - _English contrasts low vowels like the one in 'cat' with high vowels like the one in 'see'._

## Noun

6. A point, level, or time at which something is at its lowest or worst, including a time of sadness or bad fortune.
   - Simple: The lowest or worst point or time, such as prices at their lowest or a very sad time in life.
   - _Unemployment reached a historic low last quarter._
   - _Their friendship survived the highs and lows of three decades._
9. The lowest air temperature recorded in a given place, especially over a single 24-hour period.
   - Simple: The coldest temperature in a place during a day or night.
   - _Forecasters expect a low of 28 degrees overnight._
   - _The forecast calls for a high of 60 and a low of 38, so pack a warm jacket for the evening._
15. An area where the atmospheric pressure is below that of the surrounding air; a weather depression.
   - Simple: A weather area where the air pressure is lower than in the air around it.
   - _A deep low moving in from the Pacific will bring heavy rain by Friday._
   - _Forecasters tracked two lows forming over the warm waters of the Gulf._
20. The lowest gear of a transmission, giving the slowest speed and the most pulling power, especially first gear in a motor vehicle.
   - Simple: The slowest gear in a car or other machine, used for steep hills or heavy loads.
   - _She shifted into low to climb the gravel switchbacks._
   - _Keep the truck in low on the way down the pass so the engine does the braking._
25. A cheap, advantageous, or bargain price. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A cheap price, a good deal on something you buy.
   - _He furnished his whole apartment for the low by hitting estate sales._
   - _Sneakerheads brag about copping rare pairs for the low._

## Adverb

7. At or to a position close to the ground or another surface; not high up.
   - Simple: In a position close to the ground, or not high up.
   - _Swallows were flying low over the field before the storm._
   - _She bent low to pass under the doorway beam._
8. At a price below the usual level; cheaply or at a moderate cost.
   - Simple: For less money than usual, at a cheap price.
   - _Seasoned investors try to buy low and sell high._
   - _The outlet prices last season's coats low to clear shelf space._
19. In a quiet or soft voice or tone; not loudly; gently.
   - Simple: In a quiet and soft voice, not loudly.
   - _The two men talked low in the corner of the tavern._
   - _"Stay close," she said low, scanning the dark hallway._
22. At a deep pitch; at a reduced sound frequency.
   - Simple: With a deep sound, not a high one.
   - _The bass singer can go remarkably low, well below the rest of the choir._
   - _Tune the string lower until the note matches the deep hum of the organ._

## Verb

28. To make the deep, drawn-out call of cattle; to moo.
   - Simple: To moo, or make the long, deep sound that cows make.
   - _Hungry calves low at the gate each morning until the feed truck arrives._
   - _Somewhere past the barn, a single cow lowed in the dark._

## Adjective

17. Simple in complexity or in stage of development. *(dated)*
   - Simple: Simple in how it is built or developed, not complex.
   - _Early naturalists believed that the lower organisms could arise spontaneously from mud and rotting meat._
   - _Sponges are low animals, lacking true organs or a nervous system._

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Humble or meek; not proud or haughty.
- (adjective) Dead or struck down, especially after be, lie or lay, as in laid low by an assassin's bullet.
- (adjective) Belonging to the lowlands of a region, nearer sea level than the land around them, or describing the speech used there rather than in the uplands.
- (adjective) In video and role-playing games, with only a few hit points left and near defeat.
- (adjective) Preferring plainer, less elaborate ways in church or politics, as in Low Church or Low Tory.
- (adjective) Close to the equator, at a small latitude.
- (adjective) Of a diet: plain and bland, giving just enough food to live on.
- (noun) In some card games, the lowest trump card, usually the two, or the lowest trump that is dealt or drawn.
- (adverb) In a humble, poor, or lowly way.
- (adverb) At a later date, nearer to the present day.
- (adverb) Of a heavenly body, on a daily path across the sky that stays near the horizon or near the celestial equator.
- (verb) To bring something down or make it less high.
- (verb) An obsolete past tense form of the verb laugh.
- (noun) A fire or burning flame.
- (verb) To burn brightly or flare up.
- (noun) A burial mound or heap of earth piled over a grave.
- (noun) A rise in the land, a hill.
- (verb) Clipped form of allow, meaning to permit or admit.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–27** — From Middle English lowe, from Old Norse lágr ("low"), going back through Proto-Germanic *lēgaz to a Proto-Indo-European root *legʰ- ("to lie"). It is related to Dutch laag, Low German leeg, Danish lav and Swedish låg, all meaning "low."
**Meaning 28** — The cow's low comes from Old English hlōwan, which meant to bellow or roar, and later Middle English lowen. In Proto-Germanic, *hlōaną meant to call or shout, and the Proto-Indo-European root *kelh₁- meant "to call". Dutch loeien is a relative, and so are Latin calō ("I call") and clāmō ("I shout").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/low (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).