down·scale
ˈdau̇n-ˌskāl 
downscaled; downscaling
: to cut back in size or scope
the recession forced us to downscale vacation plans
: lower in class, income, or quality
Examples of downscale in a Sentence
Verb
The festival will have to be downscaled this year.
the poor economy forced the plant to downscale production
Adjective
an apartment in a downscale neighborhood
The company aims to reach a more downscale market with its new stores.
Recent Examples on the Web
New Atlas,
24 June 2026
While most broadcasters are downscaling, Arte still harbours large ambitions.
—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
21 May 2026
In maybe the funniest scene in the episode, Duncan’s wife Lili has assembled an entire college-enrollment team around Jamie to chart her path to Stanford, which isn’t looking good with a sub-1300 SAT score that isn’t even good enough for such downscale institutions as Duke or Carnegie Mellon.
—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downscale
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Built into the frames, positioned between the eyes, is a CMOS sensor capable of recording point-of-view footage at 3K resolution (at 60 frames per second) or downscaled 1080p video.
—
New Atlas,
24 June 2026
While most broadcasters are downscaling, Arte still harbours large ambitions.
—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
The corner is the site of the Capitol Square shopping center — tenants include Ross, Marshalls and Cardenas market — and a more downscale mall across the street with Grocery Outlet, Dollar Tree and a space that used to house a Fallas Discount Store.
—
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
21 May 2026
In maybe the funniest scene in the episode, Duncan’s wife Lili has assembled an entire college-enrollment team around Jamie to chart her path to Stanford, which isn’t looking good with a sub-1300 SAT score that isn’t even good enough for such downscale institutions as Duke or Carnegie Mellon.
—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downscale
Cite this Entry
“Downscale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downscale. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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