downbeat
Americannoun
-
the downward stroke of a conductor's arm or baton indicating the first or accented beat of a measure.
-
the first beat of a measure.
adjective
noun
adjective
-
informal depressed; gloomy
-
informal relaxed; unemphatic
Etymology
Origin of downbeat
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.
Panula invited her to attend one of his masterclasses, and on the first downbeat of her first experience conducting, “I knew immediately that this was beyond anything I’ve experienced in my life,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times
Chief Financial Officer Karen Parkhill gave downbeat commentary, citing rising memory costs.
From Barron's
The Kyrie opens with a strong D-major chord in the large orchestra that seems an obvious downbeat but turns out to be an upbeat.
From Los Angeles Times
Shares of Walmart rallied Thursday after the company indicated that the downbeat profit outlook it had provided was basically a way for the retail behemoth to underpromise so it could overdeliver.
From MarketWatch
Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov cut a less downbeat tone, saying the discussions had been "substantive and intensive" and that while there had been progress, no details could be disclosed "at this stage".
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.
