Skip to main content

Down, downwards or downward?

Down​

We use down mostly as a preposition or adverb. It means ‘in or moving to a low or lower position or level’:

  • We ran down the hill like two little children.
  • Jamie, put that vase down! You’ll break it!

We can also use down to mean ‘towards the south’, ‘generally in the south’, or ‘towards the place where a river meets the sea’:

  • When you were living in Spain, did you ever go down to Granada?
  • We went on a cruise down the Nile for seven days. It was fantastic.

In informal situations, we can use down to talk about a quick trip to a destination which we consider to be less central than where we are. In this meaning, we can use it with or without to. Without to is less formal:

  • I’m just going down (to) the shop. Do you want anything?
  • Are you going down (to) the golf club tonight?

Down can also mean ‘along’. We can use it with from:

  • Mila’s office is just down the corridor, second door on the left.
  • They live just down the street from our house.

A good dictionary will tell you more meanings of down, especially when it is used as part of a phrasal verb.

Downwards, downward​

Downwards is an adverb. It means ‘movement towards a lower position’:

  • The garden slopes gently downwards in the direction of the river.
  • Could you point the reading lamp downwards? It’s shining in my eyes.

In American English, downward (with no final -s) is used as an adverb:

  • Since the nineteen seventies, our country has really taken some steps downward.

In British English, downward (with no final -s) is normally only used as an adjective:

  • The statistics for violent crimes have shown a downward trend in the last two years. (The numbers have gone down.)