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Synonyms

down payment

American  
Or down-payment

noun

  1. an initial amount paid at the time of purchase, in installment buying, time sales, etc.

  2. any initial or partial payment, gift, favor, or recompense, as to reduce one's indebtedness or express one's obligation or gratitude.

    This gift is just a down payment for all the favors I owe you.
down payment British  

noun

  1. the deposit paid on an item purchased on hire-purchase, mortgage, etc

"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
down payment Cultural  

  1. A payment in part made at the time of purchase of a good, with the promise to make full payment later.

Etymology

Origin of down payment

First recorded in 1925–30

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.

She is accused of using some of those funds to put a $150,000 down payment on a house in North Carolina and to pay for her wedding expenses.

From Los Angeles Times

But to unlock a flood of new lending, especially for first-time buyers trying to make a suitable down payment, would probably require much more than changes at the margins of capital rules.

From The Wall Street Journal

She gets dibs on spending the proceeds; she’s considering investments and a down payment for a larger home.

From The Wall Street Journal

The typical mortgage payment—excluding taxes and insurance, and assuming a 20% down payment—is 8.4% lower than a year ago.

From The Wall Street Journal

Financial advisors recommend keeping short-term savings, like a house down payment, liquid in money market funds, not gold.

From Barron's

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.