Standard Lemma guide

downtown

adj · adv · noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈdaʊ̯nˌtaʊ̯n/
  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: [ˈdaʊ̯nˌthaʊ̯n]
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • /ˈdæʊ̯nˌtæʊ̯n/ Southern US, Midland US, Mid-Atlantic US, New York City, Australian, New Zealand
  • [ˈdæʊ̯nˌthæʊ̯n] Southern US, Midland US, Mid-Atlantic US, New York City, Australian, New Zealand
  • /ˈdaːnˌtaːn/ Pittsburgh, General South African, /aʊ̯/-monophthongization
  • [ˈdaːnˌthaːn] Pittsburgh, General South African, /aʊ̯/-monophthongization
  • Pennsylvania, Western: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aʊn
  • CMU ARPABET: D AW1 N T AW1 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of, relating to, or situated in the central business district.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable, usually

Examples

  • John walked every day to his downtown job.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

In or towards the central business district.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable, usually

Examples

  • You need to go downtown four blocks.
  • A storekeeper downtown was shot dead last evening.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adv

Meaning 3

Outside the three-point line, or generally far from the basket.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable, usually

Topics: ball-games, basketball, games, hobbies, lifestyle, sports

Examples

  • That shot came from way downtown!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The main business part of a city or town, usually located at or near its center.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: city center, town centre, central business district, city, uptown

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The human genitalia.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: axe wound, badly packed kebab, bearded clam, beaver, beef curtains, burger, chocha, clam, cooch, coochie, coochy, cookie, coot, cooter, crack, cunny, cunt, fanny, foo-foo, front bottom, fur burger, fur pie, gash, gee, girl penis, hair pie, ham sandwich, honey hole, it, kebab, kitty, ladybits, minge, minnie, moocha, mooshoo, mott, muff, muffin, na-na, nonny, nooky, noonie, old hat, pee flap, pee-pee, pink, poontang, prat, pudendum muliebre, punani, pussy, quaint, quiff, quim, rat, roast beef, scut, slit, slot, snatch, treasures, tuppence, twat, twinkle, vadge, vagina, vajay, va-jay-jay, vulva, wee-wee, yoni, berk, bonne bouche, box, bun, bush, cavern, clunge, coin slot, cooze, crevice, fish lips, front bum, front hole, ginch, girl, Grand Canyon, honeypot, hoo-ha, innie, juice box, la-la, love box, love tunnel, monosyllable, penis fly trap, pink bits, pump, sausage wallet, sheath, snapper, squish mitten, stench trench, strange, sugar walls, trap, vag, vaginer, vertical smile, Vicky, Victoria, Virginia, whisker biscuit, wizard's sleeve

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Heroin.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Big H, boy, brown sugar, brown, bujj, diacetylmorphine, diamorphine, dog food, dope, dugee, henry, heroin, horse, H, junk, muck, mud, ron, scag, smack, spider, sugar, whiteboy, white lady, yam yam

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective

Meaning 7

of or located in the lower part of a town, or in the business center

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • downtown Manhattan
  • delinquents roaming the downtown streets

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: uptown

8

adverb

Meaning 8

toward or in the lower or central part of town

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: uptown

9

noun

Meaning 9

the central area or commercial center of a town or city

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the heart of Birmingham's downtown

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: business district

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: city district

Narrower terms: Tin Pan Alley

History

Etymology

From down + town.

Across languages

Translations

87 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: keskustassa oleva — in, or towards the central business district
  • Finnish: keskusta- — in, or towards the central business district
  • French: centre-ville — in, or towards the central business district
  • German: in der Innenstadt — in, or towards the central business district
  • German: in die Innenstadt — in, or towards the central business district
  • Portuguese: centro — in, or towards the central business district
  • Scots: dountoun — in, or towards the central business district
  • Vietnamese: dưới phố — in, or towards the central business district
  • Afrikaans: middestad — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Arabic: وَسَطُ البَلَد (wasaṭu l-balad) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Arabic: وسط البلد (wisṭ il-balad) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Asturian: centru — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Asturian: centru urbanu — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Bulgarian: це́нтър на гра́да (céntǎr na gráda) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Catalan: centre — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Chinese Mandarin: 市中心 (shìzhōngxīn) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Chinese Mandarin: 中央商業區 /中央商业区 (zhōngyāng shāngyèqū) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Dutch: binnenstad — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Dutch: stadscentrum — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Dutch: centrum — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Esperanto: urbocentro — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Esperanto: urbomezo — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Faroese: miðbýur — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Finnish: keskusta — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Finnish: ydinkeskusta — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • French: centre-ville — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • French: quartier d'affaires — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Galician: centro — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Georgian: ქალაქის ცენტრალური ნაწილი (kalakis cenṭraluri nac̣ili) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Georgian: ქალაქის საქმიანი ნაწილი (kalakis sakmiani nac̣ili) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Georgian: ქალაქის საქმიანი რაიონი (kalakis sakmiani raioni) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Georgian: ცენტრალური ნაწილი (cenṭraluri nac̣ili) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Georgian: საქმიანი ნაწილი (sakmiani nac̣ili) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Georgian: საქმიანი რაიონი (sakmiani raioni) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Georgian: ქალაქის ცენტრი (kalakis cenṭri) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • German: Stadtmitte — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • German: Innenstadt — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • German: Stadtzentrum — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • German: Zentrum — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • German: City — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Greek: αγορά (agorá) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Greek: κέντρο (kéntro) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Hungarian: belváros — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Icelandic: miðborg — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Icelandic: miðbær — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Indonesian: pusat kota — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Italian: centro — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Japanese: ダウンタウン (dauntaun) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Japanese: 町 (machi) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Japanese: 中心部 (chūshinbu) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Japanese: 中心業務地区 (chūshin gyōmu chiku) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Khmer: ទីប្រជុំជន (tibrachoumchon) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Korean: 시내 (sinae) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Korean: 도심 (dosim) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Central Kurdish: ناوشار (nawşar) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Lao: ຕົວເມືອງ (tūa mư̄ang) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Latin: media urbs — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Macedonian: це́нтарот на гра́дот (céntarot na grádot) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Malay: pusat bandar — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Norwegian: bykjerne — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Polish: śródmieście — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Polish: centrum miasta — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Portuguese: centro — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Portuguese: baixa — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Romanian: centru n de oraș (comercial) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Russian: центр (centr) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Russian: центр го́рода (centr góroda) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Russian: делова́я часть го́рода (delovája častʹ góroda) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Russian: си́ти (síti) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Spanish: centro — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Spanish: centro de ciudad — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Spanish: núcleo urbano — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Swedish: innerstad — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Swedish: centrum — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Swedish: city — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Tagalog: bayanan — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Tagalog: gitnambayan — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Tagalog: gitnambalen — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Tagalog: kabayanan — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Tagalog: kabalinan — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Turkish: şehir merkezi — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Turkish: kent merkezi — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Ukrainian: середмі́стя (seredmístja) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Vietnamese: khu trung tâm thành phố — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Vietnamese: khu vực trung tâm thành phố — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Vietnamese: nội thành — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
  • Yiddish: אונטערשטאָט (untershtot) — either the lower, or the business center of a city or town
Real reading context

downtown in complete knowledge articles

U.S. Route 231 in Indiana Places & the world · Developing · 14 uses Hutzler's Places & the world · Challenging · 10 uses Los Gatos Creek Trail Places & the world · Developing · 10 uses Special routes of U.S. Route 60 Places & the world · Developing · 10 uses U.S. Route 192 Places & the world · Developing · 8 uses Dorchester Avenue (Boston) Science & nature · Challenging · 7 uses Downtown Albany Historic District Places & the world · Challenging · 7 uses Special routes of U.S. Route 58 Places & the world · Developing · 7 uses