downer

noun

down·​er ˈdau̇-nər 

plural downers

1

: a depressant drug

especially : barbiturate

… would often take the stage stoned on downers or high on acid …

—Peter Keough

Suppressant drugs, referred to as "downers", help create feelings of relaxation and tiredness rather than the high that people get from taking "uppers" …

—Izzy Lyons

2

: someone or something depressing, disagreeable, or unsatisfactory

Rain, biting insects, and soggy ground are other downers that keep me under cover.

—Norman Strung

Losing in their conference tournaments was a major downer for the NC State and East Carolina baseball teams.

—Brett Friedlander

3

: a weak, sick, or lame domesticated animal (such as a cow or pig) that is down and cannot get up

… the USDA last week instituted a series of measures to reassure consumers that American beef is safe, including a ban on the slaughter of cattle too sick or injured to walk, called downers, for human food.

—Cathy Booth Thomas

—often used before another noun

a downer cow

Synonyms

• bummer
• down

Examples of downer in a Sentence

I took some downers to help me sleep.

“His cat just died.” “Oh, that's a real downer.”

Our conversation about death was a bit of a downer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Can’t win for losing Perhaps the biggest downer of all has been MLS teams’ inability to take advantage of Messi’s absence by at least earning a comprehensive victory, and potentially giving those who came to see Messi a reasson to return to see the local club. —Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025

Ben Dann / Can-Am / New Atlas The only real downer to the new Apache Backcountry track system is its price tag, which starts at US$5,549. —New Atlas, 15 Feb. 2025

The only downer came a little bit later when Blue Origin's Ariane Cornell confirmed that the first stage did not successfully return to Earth. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 16 Jan. 2025

Jeez, that would’ve been a downer if the real Trump had waltzed in. —Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for downer

• browner
• towner

Kids Definition

downer

noun

down·​er ˈdau̇n-ər 

1

: a depressant drug

especially : barbiturate

2

: something that is depressing, disagreeable, or unsatisfactory

Medical Definition

downer

noun

down·​er ˈdau̇-nər 

: a depressant drug

especially : barbiturate