Meaning & use
downtown
Last updated
The central business or commercial district of a city or town.
See it in a sentence
They spent the afternoon shopping downtown before catching a show.
Traffic downtown is always heavier during the lunch hour.
A note on using this word
Downtown originated in the United States, where it referred to the lower, older part of a city — often literally located downhill or downriver.
Words with a similar meaning
city centerbusiness district
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. adjective
Located in or toward the central business district.
They rented a downtown apartment close to their offices.
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