plural downers
1
: a depressant drug
especially
: barbiturate
… would often take the stage stoned on downers or high on acid … —
Peter Keough
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
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
Norman StrungLosing in their conference tournaments was a major downer for the NC State and East Carolina baseball teams.—Brett Friedlander
Brett Friedlander3
: 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 nounCathy Booth Thomasa downer cow
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
Dell also misses the space at the sides of the keyboard since the four speakers are above it and on the laptop's underside, adding to the list of design downers.
—PCMAG, 27 Sep. 2024
Yup, that means eight players will be sent home almost immediately, which is kind of a downer.
—Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2024
The moon challenging Venus and Saturn can be a downer.
—USA TODAY, 27 Oct. 2024
Sorelle’s gentle beauty of a film is no downer, reflecting a resilient culture that refuses to be bulldozed over to make way for luxury homes.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for downer 
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PCMAG, 27 Sep. 2024
Yup, that means eight players will be sent home almost immediately, which is kind of a downer.
—Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2024
The moon challenging Venus and Saturn can be a downer.
—USA TODAY, 27 Oct. 2024
Sorelle’s gentle beauty of a film is no downer, reflecting a resilient culture that refuses to be bulldozed over to make way for luxury homes.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for downer
Dictionary Entries Near downer
Cite this Entry
“Downer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downer. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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