downtown

1 of 2

adjective

down·​town ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇n 

1

: of, relating to, or located in the lower part or business center of a city or town

2

: hip, trendy

downtown music

downtown adverb

downtown

2 of 2

noun

down·​town ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇n  ˈdau̇n-ˌtau 

: the lower part of a city or town

also : the main business district or central part of a city or town

downtowner

ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇-nər 

noun

Synonyms

Adjective

• au courant
• cool [slang]
• def [slang]
• groovy
• hep
• hip
• in
• mod
• now
• trendy
• turned-on
• with-it

Examples of downtown in a Sentence

Adjective

the downtown clientele of this bistro come to be seen, and the food is only an afterthought

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Constantin grew up in San Jose on the Los Gatos border and recalls time spent playing at Blossom Hill Park and being downtown with family. —Isha Trivedi, The Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2024

According to court documents, Erickson worked as a security guard at the downtown Milwaukee hotel. —Daniella Silva, NBC News, 8 Aug. 2024

Noun

For snow activities, travel 35 miles northeast from downtown to Ski Santa Fe, which will be debuting a new high speed lift this winter. —Jean Trinh, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2024

Five Points South is a busy area known for its restaurants, nightclubs, pubs and live music venues near the University of Alabama at Birmingham campus and downtown. —Michelle Watson, CNN, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1845, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

downtown

1 of 2 adverb

down·​town ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇n 

: to, toward, or in the main business district

downtown

2 of 2 adjective

-ˌtau̇n

: situated downtown