go down

phrasal verb [intransitive]
Word forms "go down":
present tense I/you/we/they go down he/she/it goes down present participle going down past tense went down past participle gone down

1) to sink below the surface of the water

The ship went down off the coast of Africa.

a) to fall to the ground

We watched as the plane went down in a fiery blaze.

b) when the sun or moon goes down, it moves below the horizon so you cannot see it any longer

c) go down to to be long enough to reach a particular lower point or level

There were steps going down to what had once been a lawn.

2) to become less

No one expects house prices to go down in the near future.

How long will it take for the swelling to go down?

The crime rate shows no signs of going down.

3) to be remembered or recorded in a particular place or way

go down as:

Hansen will go down as one of the best teachers this school has ever had.

go down in:

Both their names went down in the referee's notebook.

The efforts they made will go down in history.

4) to produce a particular reaction

go down well/badly (with someone):

The plan to put rents up has not gone down well with tenants.

5) if food or drink goes down, you swallow it

You need smaller pills that go down more easily.

6)

a) to travel towards the south

go down to:

The family is going down to Brighton for a few days.

b) British to travel to a place that is smaller or less important than the place you are leaving

go down to:

We're going down to the country next weekend.

7)

a) to be defeated in a competition, especially in sport

go down to:

Canada went down 3–1 to the Russian team.

b) British to move to a lower division in a sports league (= a group of teams)

"I grew up a United fan," said Little. "I'll be very sad if they go down."

8) computing if something such as a computer or an electrical system goes down, it stops working for a period of time

9) if lights go down, especially in a theatre or cinema, they gradually become less bright and are switched off

10) to become worse

I think the quality of their products has really gone down in the past few years.

11) mainly American informal to happen

I was nowhere near here when the robbery went down.

12) British to leave a university, especially Oxford or Cambridge, at the end of a term (= period of study) or a course of study

13) British informal to go to prison

14) go down in someone's opinion to become less respected by someone than you were before, because of something that you have done