Dow Jones Average, the 412
Dow Jones Av·er·age, the /ˌdaʊ ˌdʒaʊnz ˈævərɪdʒ/ also the Dow, the ˌDow Jones ˈIndex a number that shows whether SHARES in companies on the US STOCK EXCHANGE have generally risen or fallen in value on a particular day. The number is based on the share prices of 30 large and important companies: The Dow closed at 8216, down 60 points on the day. → see also FT 100 SHARE INDEX, HANG SENG INDEX, NIKKEI INDEX
down1 /daʊn/ adv 1 from above towards a lower place or position; to the floor, the ground, or the bottom: The man bent down to kiss the child. | It gets cold quickly when the sun goes down. | The boy fell down and hurt himself. | The old lady was knocked down by a car. | She came down from her bedroom. | The telephone wires were blown down by the storm. | Put the cup down on the table. | We looked down at the sea from the top of the cliffs. 2 in a low or lower than usual place or level: down at the bottom of the sea | The river is down. | The telephone wires are down. | It's very early, and no one is down (=downstairs) yet. 3 from standing to sitting, or sitting to lying: Please sit down. | You may feel better if you go and lie down. 4 in or into the body as a result of swallowing: Can't you get the medicine down? | She's been very sick and she can't keep her food down. 5 in or towards the south: He's flying down to London from Scotland. | They live down south. → compare UP1 6 BrE away from a university, e.g. at the end of a course of study: When is John coming down from Oxford/Harvard? | He was sent down (=dismissed from the university) for taking drugs. 7 along; away from the person speaking: Will you walk down to the library with me? 8 (with verbs of fixing or fastening) firmly or tightly: Have you stuck down the back of the envelope? | They closed the lid and nailed it down. 9 on paper; in writing: 'Did you write/copy/mark/put down the telephone number?' 'I have it down somewhere.' | Please put my name down on the list. | I see she's down (on the programme) to give a talk about the marketing department. 10 at or towards a lower level, e.g. of price or quantity: Production has gone down this year. (=we have produced less) | This year's profits are well down on (=when compared with) last year's. | They wanted to charge £5000 for the car, but we managed to get them down/get the price down to £4500. | Everyone in the company, from the Managing Director down, will have to take a pay cut. | We're down to our last $5. (=this is all the money we have left) 11 in or towards a lower or worse condition: The military government had kept the people down for many years. | That family has certainly come down in the world. (=moved to a lower social level) 12 (showing less noise, activity, strength etc): Let the fire burn down. | Can you quieten the children down? | I wish you would turn the radio down (=lower) a bit. | They shouted the speaker down. (=made him stop talking) 13 from the past: These jewels have been passed/handed down in our family from mother to daughter for 300 years. 14 into a smaller, lower, thinner, weaker etc, state: Boil it down. | This whisky's been watered down. | The heels of his shoes had worn down. | He got his report down to only three pages. 15 (of money) to be paid at once in CASH: You can buy this washing machine for $60 down and $10 a week for a year. 16 to the moment of catching, getting, or discovering: The men hunted the lion down. | The police ran the thief down. | We never succeeded in tracking that rumour down. (=finding out where it came from) 17 from top to bottom: He washed/hosed the car down. 18 down to a) to and including a lower degree or position in a set: Everyone uses the firm's canteen, from the chairman down to the boy who sweeps the floors. b) the responsibility or fault of: It's down to Tom whether he decides to pay. | The failure of the project is really down to bad management. 19 down with ill with: Jane has gone/come down with a cold/flu. 20 Down with ... (a shout used to show opposition) I/We don't want ...: Down with the government! → compare UP
down2 adj 1 [F] sad; in low spirits; DEPRESSED: He was very down after losing his job. 2 [A] directed or going down: the down escalator/the down train (=from London or any central place) 3 [F] behind an opponent (by): He was down (by) two sets to one, but went on to win the tennis match. 4 [F] infml finished; already dealt with: eight down and two to go 5 [F] tech (of computer systems) not in operation: The computer is down now but should be back up in an hour. → opposite UP 6 down for entered on the list for (a race, school etc): What subjects are you down for this term? 7 down on infml having and expressing a low opinion of: Don't be so down on him. → see also be down on one's luck (LUCK)
down3 prep 1 to or in a lower place in; downwards by way of: We ran down the hill. | The water poured down the pipe. | The bathroom is down those stairs. 2 along; to or at the far end of: He looked down the barrel of the gun. | They live just down the road. 3 in the direction of the current of: to go down the river 4 BrE nonstandard to; down to: I'm just going down the shops.
down4 n 1 (in American football) any of the four plays during which the team which has the ball tries to move it ten yards or more along the field towards the GOAL: It's third down and five yards to go. (=the team is making its third attempt to move the ball and has to move it five more yards to reach ten yards) 2 have a down on someone infml to have a low opinion of someone; dislike them → see also DOWNS, UPS AND DOWNS
down5 v [T] 1 to knock or force to the ground: The boxer downed his opponent in the third round. 2 to swallow quickly (especially a liquid): He downed his coffee and left. 3 AmE to defeat: Our baseball team easily downed the opposition. 4 down tools to stop working, especially suddenly and because one is unhappy or dissatisfied about something → compare STRIKE1,2
down6 n [U] fine soft feathers or hair, as on a young bird or a baby's head → -y adj
down- → see WORD FORMATION TABLE
Down, County a former COUNTY in southeast Northern Ireland, next to the Irish Sea. In 1973 County Down was divided into seven local government DISTRICTS (=areas of a country that have official borders).
,down-and-'out n, adj pl. down-and-outs infml (a person who is) suffering from lack of money, work, home etc and unable to change the situation
,down-at-'heel adj (of a person) dressed in old worn-out clothes whose condition suggests lack of money
down-beat /'daʊnbiːt/ adj infml not showing strong, eager, or hopeful feelings; RESTRAINED → compare UPBEAT
down-cast /'daʊnkɑːst||-kæst/ adj 1 sad and discouraged; DEJECTED: I felt a bit downcast when I failed my exam. 2 directed downwards: with downcast eyes
down-court /'daʊnˌkɔːrt||-ˌkɔːt/ adv, adj (in BASKETBALL) towards or in the side of the court in which a player can get a GOAL (make a basket): Magic moves the ball downcourt, passing it to Byron Scott.
down-er /'daʊnər/ n slang 1 a drug that reduces the activity of the mind and body → compare UPPER2 2 an experience, person, or situation that causes sadness or discouragement: He's a real downer – he never does anything but complain. 3 be on a downer infml to be feeling low in spirits: She's on a bit of a downer at the moment. She split up with her boyfriend a couple of weeks ago.
down-fall /'daʊnfɔːl/ n (something that causes) a sudden fall from a high position; ruin: Drink and gambling brought about his downfall/were his downfall. | The scandal led to the downfall of the government.
down-grade /'daʊngreɪd, ˌdaʊn'greɪd||'daʊngreɪd/ v [T[to]] 1 to give a lower position to (an employed person) or lower level to (a job): She was downgraded to assistant manager. → opposite UPGRADE 2 AmE to make something seem unimportant: The mayor downgraded the citizens' complaints, saying that other factors had to be considered first.
down-heart-ed /ˌdaʊn'hɑːrtɪd ||-ɑːr-/ adj in low spirits; sad; DESPONDENT —-ly adv
down-hill /ˌdaʊn'hɪl/ adj, adv 1 (sloping or going) towards the bottom of a hill: running downhill | downhill skiing | [after n] the path downhill 2 infml (becoming) easier, especially after a period of effort or difficulty: The hardest part of the work is over – it's all downhill from now on. 3 go downhill to move towards a lower or worse state or level: His work has been going downhill recently.
'down-home adj [A] AmE typical of the simple values and customs of people who live in the country, especially in the southern US: down-home family recipes
Dow-ning Street /'daʊnɪŋ striːt/ the street in central