downwards
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down·ward
(doun′wərd)adv. or down·wards (-wərdz)
1. In, to, or toward a lower place, level, or position: floating downward.
2. Toward a lower position in a hierarchy or on a socioeconomic scale: slid downward into poverty.
3. Toward the feet or lower parts: clothed from the waist downward.
4. Toward a lower amount, degree, or rank: stocks plummeted downward.
5. From a prior source or earlier time: passed downward through the ages.
adj.
Directed toward a lower place or position: downward movement.
down′ward·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
downwards
(ˈdaʊnwədz) ordownward
adv
1. from a higher to a lower place, level, etc
2. from an earlier time or source to a later: from the Tudors downwards.
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
downwards
1. 'downwards'
In British English, if you move or look downwards, you move or look towards the ground or the floor.
...a lift that is plummeting downwards at speed.
She gazed downwards.
Downwards is only used as an adverb.
2. 'downward'
Speakers of American English usually say downward instead of 'downwards'.
The blood from the wound spread downward.
He kept his head on one side as he spoke, looking downward.
In both British and American English, downward is an adjective. A downward movement or look is one in which someone or something moves or looks downwards.
She made a bold downward stroke with the paintbrush.
...a downward glance.
When downward is an adjective, you can only use it in front of a noun.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
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Adv. 1. downwards - spatially or metaphorically from a higher to a lower level or position; "don't fall down"; "rode the lift up and skied down"; "prices plunged downward"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
downwards
[ˈdaʊnwərdz] adv to move downwards (= decrease) [amount, rate] → baisser
from sb downwards
everyone from the Prime Minister downwards → tout le monde, le premier ministre en tête
everyone from the Prime Minister downwards → tout le monde, le premier ministre en tête
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005