Comedown Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms comedown American [kuhm-doun] / ˈkʌmˌdaʊn /

noun

1. an unexpected or humiliating descent from dignity, importance, or wealth.

comedown British / ˈkʌmˌdaʊn /

noun

1. a decline in position, status, or prosperity

2. informal a disappointment

3. slang a depressed or unexcited state

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

1. to come to a place regarded as lower

2. to lose status, wealth, etc (esp in the phrase to come down in the world )

3. to reach a decision

   the report came down in favour of a pay increase

4. (often foll by to) to be handed down or acquired by tradition or inheritance

5. to leave college or university

6. (foll by with) to succumb (to illness or disease)

7. (foll by on) to rebuke or criticize harshly

8. (foll by to) to amount in essence (to)

   it comes down to two choices

9. slang to lose the effects of a drug and return to a normal or more normal state

10. informal (of a river) to flow in flood

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of comedown

First recorded in 1555–65; noun use of verb phrase come down

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It was a big comedown for a Knicks team who slipped half a game behind the Boston Celtics into third place in the East, six games behind conference leaders Detroit.

From Barron's

Silver’s comedown was its biggest percentage drop in a session since February 2021.

From The Wall Street Journal

And initially, it seemed like those numbers would be a sufficient spark for AI stocks that had seen a comedown in recent weeks.

From MarketWatch

Was it just an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs last week or something more?

From BBC

As part of a 37-strong British contingent, external headed for India, he goes into the championships with "my hunger back", having struggled with the comedown from his Paralympic high.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.