down·vote
ˈdau̇n-ˌvōt 
plural downvotes
: a vote made by clicking an on-screen icon to signify one's disagreement with or disapproval of an online comment or post
Since being posted it has accumulated 683,000 downvotes. This comment is hated on a scale that no other comment in Reddit history has reached.—
Zack Zwiezen
Zack Zwiezena downvote button
compare upvote entry 1
downvoted; downvoting; downvotes
: to signify one's disapproval of or disagreement with (an online comment or post) by clicking an on-screen icon
For instance, a Twitter user will not be able to see how many people have downvoted their tweets.—Mariah Rush
Mariah RushUsers swipe up to browse content and can upvote, downvote, comment, and share the videos.—BRG.com
compare upvote entry 2
BRG.comExamples of downvote in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nilay Patel, The Verge, 25 Mar. 2024
Now, if a post gets more than five downvotes, it’s automatically deleted, according to the company’s website.
—Kaitlyn Schwanemann, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024
The platform's unique feature is its upvote and downvote system, which allows users to rate and rank content based on its popularity and relevance.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2023
The downvote wasn’t Twitter’s only rollout this week.
—Sarah Sarder, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2022
Twitter took a step Thursday toward adding a prominent new feature: a downvote button.
—NBC News, 4 Feb. 2022
Only Twitter itself and the user who cast the vote can see the downvote—neither the user who posted the reply nor the one who posted the parent tweet can view them.
—Tim De Chant, Ars Technica, 4 Feb. 2022
On July 21, Twitter revealed a new feature that’s got users talking—a downvote button that will help the platform better grasp the kinds of conversations its audience finds helpful.
—Brooklyn White, Essence, 21 July 2021
Aja Romano, Vox, 4 Sep. 2024
Like Google Search's AI Overviews, Bing's AI search also give users the option to upvote or downvote an AI's work.
—Kate Irwin, PCMAG, 25 July 2024
But Microsoft Bing's feedback buttons are more visible and appear at the top of the AI section, while Google's AI Overviews have their upvote or downvote buttons hidden beneath an expandable section that has to be clicked on by the user to be seen.
—Kate Irwin, PCMAG, 25 July 2024
Users can submit posts, links, images, and videos that other members upvote or downvote.
—Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
Union workers at Mack Trucks went on strike yesterday after a majority downvoted a five-year contract agreement reached with the company.
—Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2023
Individual comments can, naturally, be up or downvoted as well.
—Max Eddy, PCMAG, 25 July 2023
Not only that, but Reddit's voting system, which enables users to upvote or downvote content and comments, helps filter out unreliable or biased information.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2023
Misty quickly downvotes his correct assumption, which is a very impulsive move for the woman who kidnapped and killed a private investigator last season.
—Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 25 Mar. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Maybe the protocol supports downvotes, but Bluesky, the social network that people are on, never shows it to anybody or doesn’t support that feature of the protocol itself.
—Nilay Patel, The Verge, 25 Mar. 2024
Now, if a post gets more than five downvotes, it’s automatically deleted, according to the company’s website.
—Kaitlyn Schwanemann, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024
The platform's unique feature is its upvote and downvote system, which allows users to rate and rank content based on its popularity and relevance.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2023
The downvote wasn’t Twitter’s only rollout this week.
—Sarah Sarder, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2022
Twitter took a step Thursday toward adding a prominent new feature: a downvote button.
—NBC News, 4 Feb. 2022
Only Twitter itself and the user who cast the vote can see the downvote—neither the user who posted the reply nor the one who posted the parent tweet can view them.
—Tim De Chant, Ars Technica, 4 Feb. 2022
On July 21, Twitter revealed a new feature that’s got users talking—a downvote button that will help the platform better grasp the kinds of conversations its audience finds helpful.
—Brooklyn White, Essence, 21 July 2021
Verb
This might be a rare perspective (that user, alas, was ruthlessly downvoted).
—Aja Romano, Vox, 4 Sep. 2024
Like Google Search's AI Overviews, Bing's AI search also give users the option to upvote or downvote an AI's work.
—Kate Irwin, PCMAG, 25 July 2024
But Microsoft Bing's feedback buttons are more visible and appear at the top of the AI section, while Google's AI Overviews have their upvote or downvote buttons hidden beneath an expandable section that has to be clicked on by the user to be seen.
—Kate Irwin, PCMAG, 25 July 2024
Users can submit posts, links, images, and videos that other members upvote or downvote.
—Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
Union workers at Mack Trucks went on strike yesterday after a majority downvoted a five-year contract agreement reached with the company.
—Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2023
Individual comments can, naturally, be up or downvoted as well.
—Max Eddy, PCMAG, 25 July 2023
Not only that, but Reddit's voting system, which enables users to upvote or downvote content and comments, helps filter out unreliable or biased information.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2023
Misty quickly downvotes his correct assumption, which is a very impulsive move for the woman who kidnapped and killed a private investigator last season.
—Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 25 Mar. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near downvote
Cite this Entry
“Downvote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downvote. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share