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Down A
Down meaning lower Lottie Well, did he come down1 on the price? Tom
I knocked him down2 by £100 but he wouldn’t go any lower.
Lottie Oh, so that’s why you slammed the catalogue down3 when you finished? Tom
No, that was because I was distracted by the music and annoyed. Why didn’t you turn the volume down4? I could hardly hear a word he was saying!
1
suggest or agree to a lower price 3 put down with a lot of force persuaded him to reduce the price 4 reduce the amount of sound
2
B
C
Down suggesting preventing or restraining phrasal verb
definition of phrasal verb
example
shout down sb or shout sb down
shout in order to prevent someone who you disagree with from being heard
I couldn’t hear what the prime minister was saying because some people at the front were shouting him down.
pin down sb or pin sb down
force someone to stay in a horizontal position by holding them
Two police officers pinned the robber down while the third handcuffed him.
tie down sth/sb or tie sth/sb down
use ropes to fasten someone or something in a particular position
The tent is secure, but make sure you tie down anything else that might blow away in the storm.
tie sb down
(metaphorical meaning of the previous verb) prevent someone from having the freedom to do what they want to do
My brother prefers to take temporary work because he hates the idea of being tied down.
Other meanings of down Not working The computer system is always going down. We need a new one. [stopping working] Don’t forget to save your documents before you shut the computer down. [turn off] Depressed or sad This rain is getting me down. [making me feel depressed] On a list Freya asked me to put her down for a copy of the report when it’s published. [put on a list to arrange for her to have something] You can put me down to organise the refreshments. [put on a list to arrange for me to do something] Killed/injured The terrorists mercilessly gunned down their victims. [shot and killed or seriously injured] We had to have our poor old dog put down last week; she was very sick. [put to death] Surviving through time The legend has come down to us from the ancient records of the Quilhoa people. [passed from generation to generation] Be considered or remembered This will go down in history as the most important event of the century. [be remembered] My workshop went down really well. [was well-received]
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English Phrasal Verbs in Use Advanced
