lower

LOH-ur/ˈloʊ.ɚ/UKLOH-uh/ˈləʊ.ə/

Verblowers, lowering, lowered

19 meanings of lower

Practice

1
adjective
Comparative of low. Use it to say one thing is less high than another.
The lower shelf holds the heavier books.
Prices were lower this year than last.
Note
2
adjective
Closer to the bottom than to the top of something.
The lower drawer kept sticking whenever she opened it.
He rented a room on one of the lower floors.
Similarbottom, under, nether
Oppositeupper, top
Note
3
verbtransitive
To make something less tall or bring its top down.
Like cutting a tall plant down so it is shorter.
We lower the old desk by trimming its legs.
They lowered the fence so the children could see over it.
Similardrop, shorten, reduce
Oppositeraise, heighten, elevate
4
verbtransitive
To let a hanging or held object move down slowly.
Like letting a bucket down into a well on a rope.
Two workers lower the casket gently into the grave.
She lowered the blinds against the afternoon sun.
Similardrop, ease, sink
Oppositeraise, hoist, lift
Note
5
verbtransitive
To make something weaker or less intense.
Like turning down the volume on a radio.
Please lower your voice in the library.
The medicine lowered her fever within a few hours.
Similarreduce, lessen, diminish, decrease, ease
Oppositeincrease, raise, heighten, intensify
Note
6
verbtransitive
To make the value or amount of something smaller.
Like changing a price tag to a smaller number.
The store will lower its prices for the holiday sale.
Lawmakers lowered the tax on small businesses.
Similarreduce, cut, decrease, slash, drop
Oppositeraise, increase, hike
7
adverb
Comparative of low. Use it to say something happens in a position that is less high.
The plane flew lower than usual over the valley.
Crouch lower so the branch does not hit you.
Note
8
verbtransitive
To bring something down to a less raised position.
The operators lower the water level in the canal overnight.
Engineers lowered the bridge deck during repairs.
Similardrop, set
Oppositeraise, lift, elevate
Note
9
verbintransitive
To become smaller in value or amount.
Costs tend to lower when production increases.
Stock prices lowered sharply after the announcement.
Similardecrease, fall, drop, decline, dip
Oppositerise, increase, climb
10
verbintransitive
To fall, sink, or slowly grow less.
Like water draining from a tub until the level drops.
The tide will lower by early evening.
Floodwaters slowly lowered once the rain stopped.
Similarfall, sink, drop, subside, recede
Oppositerise, swell
Note

11
verbtransitive
To make someone feel less proud or important.
Like letting the air out of a balloon that was puffed up too big.
The defeat helped to lower his pride.
They tried to lower their rival in front of everyone.
Similardegrade, demean, diminish, humble, humiliate
Oppositeelevate, raise, exalt
12
verbtransitive
To pull something down to a lower position.
Like pulling a window shade down to cover the glass.
Sailors lower the flag at sunset.
She lowered the bucket slowly into the well.
Similardrop
Oppositeraise, hoist, lift
13
verbtransitive
To turn or aim something so it points downward.
Like tilting a flashlight down to light up the floor.
He lowered the rifle until it pointed at the ground.
Lower the camera a little to catch the floor.
Similardip, depress, drop
Oppositeraise, elevate, lift
14
adjective
Found on lower ground, closer to the sea, or farther south.
Like the part of a hill that sits closest to the bottom.
They farmed the lower valley near the river mouth.
The lower part of the country stays warmer in winter.
Similardownstream, southern, coastal
Oppositeupper, upstream
Note
15
verbreflexivetransitive
To do something you feel is below your dignity.
Like a proud person finally agreeing to ask others for help.
He refused to lower himself by begging for the job.
She would never lower herself to spread petty gossip.
Similarstoop, deign, condescend, demean, humble
Note
16
verbtransitive
To turn a program's steps into simple machine instructions.
Like turning a recipe written in words into exact, simple steps a machine can follow.
The compiler will lower each loop into basic machine steps.
Engineers lower the code so the chip can run it directly.
Note
17
adjective
Older, said of rock layers that formed earlier.
Like the bottom papers in a stack: they were put down first, so they are oldest.
The lower layers of rock are the oldest ones here.
Fossils in the lower beds formed long before the upper ones.
Similarolder, earlier
Oppositeupper, younger
Note
18
nouncountable
The bottom tubes of a bike's front suspension that slide up and down.
He replaced the cracked lower on his mountain bike's front fork.
The lowers slid smoothly after she oiled them.
19
USLOW-ur/ˈlaʊɚ/UKLOW-uh/ˈlaʊə/
verb
Alternative spelling of lour. It means to look angry, or for the sky to grow dark and gloomy.
Dark clouds lower over the hills before a storm.
He would lower at anyone who interrupted his work.
Note

lower is a form of low

low, adjective: Small in amount, number, or level, or having only a little of something, like low in sugar. Full entry

Forms: lowlower comparativelowest superlative
Spelling: low → lower: add -er

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of lower apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

This comes from the word "low" plus "-er," the ending that means "more."