downtown
downtown Lexical Profile
downtown Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
North American Situated in, relating to, or characteristic of the central business district of a city or town.
"She rented a small studio apartment near the downtown theater district."
• adverb
North American In, into, or toward the central or main business district of a city or town.
"We took the subway downtown to visit the art museum and have dinner."
• noun
North American The main commercial, financial, and cultural center of a city or town.
"The city invested millions of dollars to revitalize its historic downtown with pedestrian plazas and local shops."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used as an adverb of direction or location (e.g., "going downtown"), it does not take the preposition "to" or "in," unlike its British counterpart "city centre."
Word Origin & Etymology
Originated in the 1830s in New York City, referring to the older, commercial southern tip of Manhattan Island, which sat lower on standard north-oriented maps than the residential districts built further north ("uptown").