low

1 of 6

adjective

ˈlō 

lower ˈlō-ər  ; lowest ˈlō-əst 

1

a

: having a small upward extension or elevation

a low wall

b

: situated or passing little above a reference line, point, or plane

low bridges

c(1)

: having a low-cut neckline

(2)

: not extending as high as the ankle

low oxfords

2

a

: situated or passing below the normal level, surface, or base of measurement, or the mean elevation

low ground

b

: marking a nadir or bottom

the low point of his career

3

a(1)

: small in number or amount

(2)

: substandard, inadequate

a low level of employment

a low income group

(3)

: cheap

low prices

(4)

: short, depleted

Oil is in low supply.

b

: of lesser degree, size, or amount than average or ordinary

low energy

c

: of lesser position, rank, or order

4

: intended to attract little attention

kept a low profile

5

: unfavorable, disparaging

had a low opinion of her

6

a

: lacking spirit or vivacity : depressed

a low frame of mind

b

: lacking strength, health, or vitality : weak, prostrate

very low with pneumonia

7

a

: being near the horizon

b

: being near the equator

low northern latitudes

8

: falling short of some standard: such as

a

: morally reprehensible : base

a low trick

b

: lacking dignity or elevation

a low style of writing

c

: coarse, vulgar

low language

9

a

: not loud : soft

b

: characterized by being toward the bottom of the range of pitch attainable (as by an instrument)

c

: flat sense 8a

10

: socially or economically humble in character or status

a person of low birth

11

: designed for slow and usually the slowest speed

low gear

12

a

: not advanced in complexity, development, or elaboration

low organisms

b

often capitalized : low church

13

: being near the basket or net

a player in the low post

14

: dead

—used as a predicate adjective with lay

laid the enemy low

15

: articulated with a wide opening between the relatively flat tongue and the palate : open

\ä\ is a low vowel.

low adverb

lowness noun

low

2 of 6

noun (1)

1

: something that is low: such as

a

: depth

a new low in advertising

b

: a region of low barometric pressure

2

: the transmission gear of an automotive vehicle giving the lowest ratio of driveshaft to crankshaft speed

low

3 of 6

verb (1)

lowed; lowing; lows

intransitive verb

: moo

In barns cows lowed to be milked.

—Esther Forbes

low

4 of 6

noun (2)

: the deep sustained sound characteristic especially of a cow

low

5 of 6

noun (3)

ˈlō 

variants or lowe

chiefly Scotland

: flame, blaze

low

6 of 6

verb (2)

variants or lowe

lowed; lowing

Scotland

: flame, blaze

Synonyms

Adjective

• equatorial
• tropical

Choose the Right Synonym for low

base, low, vile mean deserving of contempt because of the absence of higher values.

base stresses the ignoble and may suggest cruelty, treachery, greed, or grossness.

base motives

low may connote crafty cunning, vulgarity, or immorality and regularly implies an outraging of one's sense of decency or propriety.

refused to listen to such low talk

vile, the strongest of these words, tends to suggest disgusting depravity or filth.

a vile remark

Examples of low in a Sentence

Adjective

The apartment has low ceilings.

They have a home in the low country.

The houses are built on low ground.

temperatures as low as 10 below zero

He's being treated for low blood pressure.

a low dose of medicine

She earns a low salary.

Demand for his books has remained low.

Temperatures were in the low eighties.

Our supply of fuel is getting low.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Alabama’s ceiling looked higher, but its floor looked lower. —Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 9 Dec. 2024

New York City and Philadelphia were expected to hit the mid-50s Sunday and low 60s by Wednesday. —Susan Miller, USA TODAY, 9 Dec. 2024

Noun

Thursday night, conditions are expected to be mostly clear with a low of 21. —Matt Hubbard, Baltimore Sun, 8 Dec. 2024

This season, Trouba had no goals and six assists in 24 games, and saw his ice time dip to a career low of 20:00 per game. —Carol Schram, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024

Verb

Adjust the heat to low and keep a watchful eye, to avoid burning the butter. —The View, ABC News, 27 Nov. 2024

Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. —Kelly Brant, arkansasonline.com, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English lah, low, from Old Norse lāgr; akin to Middle High German læge low, flat; probably akin to Old English licgan to lie

Verb (1) and Noun (2)

Middle English loowen, lowen, going back to Old English hlōwan, going back to Germanic *hlōan- (whence also Old Saxon hlōinga "mooing," Old Low Franconian luon, luogin "to moo, bellow," Old High German luoen), going back to Indo-European *kloh₁-, presumed o-grade derivative of a verbal base *kleh₁-, *kl̥h₁- "call," whence also Germanic *halōn-, *hulōn- "to summon" (whence Old English geholian "to obtain, get," Old Saxon halon, haloian "to fetch, get, bring," Old High German halōn, holōn "to fetch, send for, summon"), Latin calāre "to announce, summon," Umbrian kařetu "(he must) call," Greek kaléō, kaleîn "to call, summon," and perhaps Hittite kalliš- "entice, elicit, evoke"

Note: Old English hlōwan is taken to be a Class VII strong verb (as grōwan "to grow," blōwan "to bloom, blow entry 3"), despite the lack of attested forms outside the present tense. The a vocalism of the Greek and Italic forms is variously explained. The suggestion that the base is *kalh₁-, with a primary -a-, eliminates some of the difficulties.

Noun (3)

Middle English, from Old Norse logi, log; akin to Old English lēoht light — more at light

First Known Use

Adjective

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1522, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing low

• down-low
• extremely low frequency
• have a low opinion of (something)
• high and low
• high-low-jack
• high/low profile
• in low spirits
• kept a low profile
• lie low
• low achiever
• low beam
• low blood pressure
• low blow
• low-budget
• low-carb
• low-class
• low comedy
• low country
• low cunning
• low-cut
• low-density lipoprotein
• low-down
• low earth orbit
• low-end
• low-fat
• low frequency
• low gear
• low-grade
• low-hanging fruit
• low-impact
• low in
• low-income housing
• low-key
• low-keyed
• low-level
• low-lying
• low-maintenance
• low man on the totem pole
• low mass
• low-minded
• low pain threshold
• low-pitched
• low point
• low-pressure
• low-ranking
• low relief
• low-rent
• low-rise
• low-risk
• low season
• low-slung
• low-spirited
• low-tech
• low tide
• low water
• on a low note
• on the down-low
• run low
• run low on
• stand high/low with (someone)
• the down-low
• very low density lipoprotein
• very low frequency

Kids Definition

low

1 of 3 noun

ˈlō 

: the deep sound of a cow

low verb

low

2 of 3 adjective

ˈlō

lower

ˈlō(-ə)r

; lowest

ˈlō-əst

1

a

: not high or tall

a low wall

a low bridge

b

: cut far down at the neck

c

: not extending as high as the ankle

2

a

: placed or passing below the normal level

low ground

b

: marking a bottom

a low point of his career

3

: stricken sense 1, prostrate

laid low

4

a

: not loud : soft

a low whisper

b

: deep in pitch

a low note

5

a

: being near the equator

low northern latitudes

b

: being near the horizon

the sun is low

6

: poor entry 1 sense 1, lower-class

low birth

7

a

: feeble sense 1, weak

low with fever

b

: not cheerful or lively

in low spirits

8

: less than usual (as in number, amount, degree, or rank)

a low price

low pressure

9

a

: lacking dignity

a low style of writing

b

: morally deserving of criticism : base

a low trick

c

: coarse sense 5, vulgar

low language

10

: being less complex in structure and development than others

low animals

11

: not favorable

a low opinion of their work

low adverb

lowness noun

low

3 of 3 noun

1

: something low

especially : a region of low barometric pressure

2

: the arrangement of gears in an automobile that gives the lowest speed of travel

Medical Definition

low

adjective

ˈlō 

lower ˈlō(-ə)r  ; lowest ˈlō-əst 

: having a relatively less complex organization : not greatly differentiated or developed phylogenetically

—usually used in the comparative degree of less advanced types of plants and animals

the lower vertebrates

compare high sense 1

Biographical Definition

Low

biographical name

ˈlō 

Sir David Alexander Cecil 1891–1963 British cartoonist