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

This spurred collectors to acquire some organs from movie theaters that were being closed or sold as people shifted from watching movies downtown to watching TV at home in the suburbs. —Heather Kathryn Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025

Among the areas prohibited are the downtown, coastal zone and San Luis Rey Mission historical zones. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025

Noun

Pedestrian and cyclist injuries and deaths were seen more in the downtown and Broadway corridors, Vissers said. —Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025

Bodle said the partnership with TACO came about because her church volunteers with its downtown San Diego homeless outreach events, such as serving dinners. —Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1845, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for downtown

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown
• knockdown

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