down·beat
ˈdau̇n-ˌbēt 
1
: the downward stroke of a conductor indicating the principally accented note of a measure of music
also
: the first beat of a measure
2
: a decline in activity or prosperity
: pessimistic, gloomy
a downbeat assessment
Examples of downbeat in a Sentence
Adjective
a downbeat prediction for the company's sales performance in the upcoming year
Recent Examples on the Web
Tom Roland, Billboard, 12 Mar. 2025
Shot in black-and-white and filled with images influenced by classic Westerns, The Last Picture Show pays homage to Bogdanovich’s influences but has a restless, New Hollywood energy and downbeat tone, all its own.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
Paulina Likos, CNBC, 25 Mar. 2025
Even so, Fletcher refused to be downbeat about the slump in British fortunes.
—Andrew Rice, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downbeat
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Noun
And the phrases in the singalong chorus generally start on the second beat of a measure, leading to the downbeat of the next bar; thus, they’re built from musical pickups.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 12 Mar. 2025
Shot in black-and-white and filled with images influenced by classic Westerns, The Last Picture Show pays homage to Bogdanovich’s influences but has a restless, New Hollywood energy and downbeat tone, all its own.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
However, Jim has been downbeat on the Google parent, which has lately been weighed down by multiple antitrust cases and the ongoing threat from AI chatbots biting into its dominance in search.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 25 Mar. 2025
Even so, Fletcher refused to be downbeat about the slump in British fortunes.
—Andrew Rice, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downbeat
Cite this Entry
“Downbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downbeat. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
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