down·town
ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇n 
1
: of, relating to, or located in the lower part or business center of a city or town
downtown
adverb
down·town
ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇n
ˈdau̇n-ˌtau
ˈdau̇n-ˌtau
: the lower part of a city or town
also
: the main business district or central part of a city or town
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
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025
This spurred collectors to acquire some organs from movie theaters that were being closed or sold as people shifted from watching movies downtown to watching TV at home in the suburbs.
—Heather Kathryn Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025
Starting with just a cached map and vehicle sensor data, the system successfully tracked the car's movements—even outperforming GPS in downtown areas with tall buildings that typically cause conventional systems to falter.
—Luis E. Romero, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downtown
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Adjective
Brian Hopkins, 2nd, whose ward includes Streeterville, responded by calling (not for the first time) for moving the existing 10 p.m. curfew for minors who are downtown without an accompanying adult back to 8 p.m.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025
This spurred collectors to acquire some organs from movie theaters that were being closed or sold as people shifted from watching movies downtown to watching TV at home in the suburbs.
—Heather Kathryn Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
Noun
Traveling nonstop from Waukegan to Chicago’s Loop or downtown Milwaukee for as little as $10 while reclining in a leather seat on a luxury bus is about to become a reality this summer.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025
Starting with just a cached map and vehicle sensor data, the system successfully tracked the car's movements—even outperforming GPS in downtown areas with tall buildings that typically cause conventional systems to falter.
—Luis E. Romero, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downtown
Cite this Entry
“Downtown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downtown. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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