lower
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause to descend; let or put down.
to lower a flag.
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to make lower in height or level.
to lower the water in a canal.
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to reduce in amount, price, degree, force, etc.
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to make less loud.
Please lower your voice.
- Synonyms:
- soften
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to bring down in rank or estimation; degrade; humble; abase (oneself), as by some sacrifice of self-respect or dignity.
His bad actions lowered him in my eyes.
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Music. to make lower in pitch; flatten.
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Phonetics. to alter the articulation of (a vowel) by increasing the distance of the tongue downward from the palate.
The vowel of “clerk” is lowered to (ä) in the British pronunciation.
verb (used without object)
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to become lower, grow less, or diminish, as in amount, intensity, or degree.
The brook lowers in early summer. Stock prices rise and lower constantly.
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to descend; sink.
the sun lowering in the west.
adjective
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comparative of low.
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of or relating to those portions of a river farthest from the source.
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(often initial capital letter) noting an early division of a period, system, or the like.
the Lower Devonian.
noun
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a denture for the lower jaw.
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a lower berth.
adjective
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being below one or more other things
the lower shelf
the lower animals
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reduced in amount or value
a lower price
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maths (of a limit or bound) less than or equal to one or more numbers or variables
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(sometimes capital) geology denoting the early part or division of a period, system, formation, etc
Lower Silurian
verb
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(tr) to cause to become low or on a lower level; bring, put, or cause to move down
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(tr) to reduce or bring down in estimation, dignity, value, etc
to lower oneself
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to reduce or be reduced
to lower one's confidence
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(tr) to make quieter
to lower the radio
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(tr) to reduce the pitch of
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(tr) phonetics to modify the articulation of (a vowel) by bringing the tongue further away from the roof of the mouth
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(intr) to diminish or become less
verb
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(esp of the sky, weather, etc) to be overcast, dark, and menacing
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to scowl or frown
noun
Other Word Forms
- lowerable adjective
- lowering adjective
- loweringly adverb
Etymology
Origin of lower1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, comparative of low 1 (adjective)
Origin of lower2
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb louren “to frown, lurk”; akin to German lauern, Dutch loeren; lurk
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.
About two-thirds of Chinese regions have already lowered growth ambitions for this year, signaling that Beijing could follow suit with the national target.
Shares of Chinese carmakers were largely lower in Hong Kong on Monday.
U.S. natural gas settled lower with the April contract moving to the front of the curve.
It enticed big institutions to invest in its funds by offering lower fees.
But in both countries, there seems to be a considerable reluctance to have higher or lower income tax than across the English border.
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.
