downtown

1 of 2

adjective

down·​town ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇n 

1

: of, relating to, or located in the lower part or business center of a city or town

2

: hip, trendy

downtown music

downtown adverb

downtown

2 of 2

noun

down·​town ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇n  ˈdau̇n-ˌtau 

: the lower part of a city or town

also : the main business district or central part of a city or town

downtowner

ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇-nər 

noun

Synonyms

Adjective

• au courant
• cool [slang]
• def [slang]
• groovy
• hep
• hip
• in
• mod
• now
• trendy
• turned-on
• with-it

Examples of downtown in a Sentence

Adjective

the downtown clientele of this bistro come to be seen, and the food is only an afterthought

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Smith said anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 people could have been downtown at the time of the shooting, judging by views of the huge Halloween crowds. —CBS News, 1 Nov. 2024

Constantin grew up in San Jose on the Los Gatos border and recalls time spent playing at Blossom Hill Park and being downtown with family. —Isha Trivedi, The Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2024

Noun

District 3, which spans West Oakland, uptown and part of downtown, has emerged as a sort of key political battleground for the city’s future. —Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024

Park City downtown and its many ski hangouts, such as Deer Valley Resort, lie roughly 30 minutes south of your stay. —Stephanie Vermillion, Outside Online, 6 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1845, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

downtown

1 of 2 adverb

down·​town ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇n 

: to, toward, or in the main business district

downtown

2 of 2 adjective

-ˌtau̇n

: situated downtown