download

1 of 2

noun

down·​load ˈdau̇n-ˌlōd 

computers

: an act or instance of transferring something (such as data or files) from a usually large computer to the memory of another device (such as a smaller computer) : an act or instance of downloading (see download entry 2) something

faster downloads

also : the item downloaded

two downloads

download

2 of 2

verb

downloaded; downloading; downloads

transitive verb

computers

: to transfer (data, files, etc.) from one location (such as a large computer or the cloud) to another (such as a smaller computer, smartphone, or storage device)

download the files onto your computer

downloading songs from the Internet

downloadable

ˈdau̇n-ˌlō-də-bəl 

adjective

Examples of download in a Sentence

Noun

The modem is capable of high-speed downloads.

The download will take about three minutes.

The program is available for download at the company's website.

The downloads are all in this folder.

Verb

He downloaded the files onto his computer.

She downloads songs from the Internet.

The new program makes downloading faster.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This new Cloak variant, Halcyon warned, can spread by way of dangerous drive-by downloads disguised as legitimate updates like Microsoft Windows installers. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

For example, Garcia’s Tailwind Variants — an API that enhances Tailwind’s CSS framework and allows developers to create variations in the style, behavior, and structure of design components — has racked up 1.2 million monthly downloads. —William Mullane, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024

Verb

For example, an S3 bucket might inadvertently be left open to public access, allowing anyone with the correct URL to view or download its contents. —Lars Daniel, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

Backed by the French Ministry of Culture, the Common Corpus has been downloaded over 60,000 times this month alone on the open source AI platform Hugging Face. —Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1977, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1975, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

download

1 of 2 noun

down·​load

ˈdau̇n-ˌlōd

: an act or instance of transferring data from a usually large computer to the memory of another device (as a smaller computer)

download

2 of 2 verb

down·​load

: to transfer (data) from one location (as a large computer to another smaller computer or storage device)

downloadable

-ˌlōd-ə-bəl

adjective