downtown

1 of 2

adjective

down·​town ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇n How to pronounce downtown (audio)
Synonyms of downtownnext
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 How to pronounce downtown (audio) ˈdau̇n-ˌtau How to pronounce downtown (audio)
: 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 How to pronounce downtown (audio)
noun

Synonyms of downtown

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Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
As Detroit prepares to welcome thousands of people downtown for Grand Prix weekend, city leaders say public safety has been a months-long effort. — Elaine Rojas-Castillo, CBS News, 28 May 2026 For sports travelers, that means the pregame meal does not have to be a chain restaurant, and the postgame dinner does not have to be downtown. — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 11 May 2026
Noun
Chris Elford, who owns a brewery and a cocktail bar downtown, has a lot of regulars who work at Seattle tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft. — Natasha Chen, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026 The Pathfinder, with shooters still firing, chases the Jeep down the street, toward downtown Seattle and into the night. — Sydney Brownstone, NPR, 2 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for downtown

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1845, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of downtown was in 1837

Rhymes for downtown

See All Rhymes for downtown

Browse Nearby Words

down-to-the-wire
downtown
down tree
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Downtown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downtown. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

downtown

1 of 2 adverb
down·​town ˌdau̇n-ˈtau̇n How to pronounce downtown (audio)
: to, toward, or in the main business district

downtown

2 of 2 adjective
-ˌtau̇n
: situated downtown

More from Merriam-Webster on downtown

Nglish: Translation of downtown for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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