• comparative of low

adjective

• 1Less high in position.

  More example sentences

  • ‘the lower levels of the building’

  Synonyms

  bottom, bottommost, under, underneath, further down, beneath, nether

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  1. 1.1Less high in status or amount.
     ‘managers lower down the hierarchy’
     More example sentences

     • ‘lower costs will encourage people to buy’
     Synonyms

     subordinate, inferior, lesser, junior, minor, secondary, lower-level, lower-grade, subsidiary, ancillary, second-fiddle, subservient

     cheaper, reduced, decreased, lessened, curtailed, pruned, cut, slashed

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  2. 1.2(of an animal or plant) showing relatively primitive or simple characteristics.

• 2

  (also Lower)

  Geology Archaeology
  Denoting an older (and hence usually deeper) part of a stratigraphic division or archaeological deposit or the period in which it was formed or deposited.

  ‘Lower Cretaceous’

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  • ‘Lower Palaeolithic’

• 3in place names Situated to the south.

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  • ‘the Lower East Side’

adverb

• In or into a lower position.

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  • ‘the sun sank lower’

transitive verb

• 1Move (someone or something) in a downward direction.

  ‘he watched the coffin being lowered into the ground’

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  • ‘Upon the third ring, my other hand released his and I lowered my fist, moving away from the elder man and back to my laptop.’
  • ‘He lowered his hand, moving his focus to the paints and pencils and brushes that had been forgotten for so long.’
  • ‘He stood by as baskets of mutton and fish were lowered in together like coffins in a communal grave.’
  • ‘So ski patrollers finally slid along the cables, fitted the passengers with harnesses and lowered them to the ground one by one.’
  • ‘Mona stood still as the casket was lowered slowly into the ground.’
  • ‘He gently lowered his head and rested it on the cold glass.’
  • ‘He gently lowered her head from his shoulder onto the pillow and got off the bed.’
  • ‘The national red-and-white flag was then lowered to half-mast.’
  • ‘The new sonar is carefully lowered by crane into the water.’
  • ‘Everyone watched in silence as the Stars and Stripes and the Union flag were lowered to half-mast.’
  • ‘In Germany flags were lowered to half-mast at federal buildings.’
  • ‘Villagers cheered as the building was lowered by crane off a flatbed lorry.’
  • ‘As they watched, screens lowered from the ceiling to show the battle.’
  • ‘He turned to tap on his laptop and a plasma screen lowered from the ceiling.’
  • ‘The eagle touched down, and the platform slowly lowered down to the ground.’
  • ‘A mere glance upwards at a bright lamp caused it to lower from the domed ceiling.’
  • ‘A white disc is lowered into the water until it can no longer be seen.’
  • ‘Amidst the drizzle and the strong winds, the box was lowered into the water.’
  • ‘Mules, lowered by rope down the narrow shaft into the mine, were used in the early mining operations.’
  • ‘The first panel had been lowered into place and was being anchored.’

  Synonyms

  move down, let down, take down, haul down, drop, let fall, let sink

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  1. 1.1Make or become less in amount, intensity, or degree.
     with object ‘traffic speeds must be lowered’
     More example sentences

     • ‘she lowered her voice to a whisper’
     • ‘temperatures lowered’
     Synonyms

     soften, modulate, quieten, hush, tone down, muffle, turn down, mute

     reduce, decrease, lessen, bring down, diminish, curtail, prune, pare, pare down, ease up on, cause to fall, slim down, mark down, cut, slash, axe

     subside, fall, fall off, recede, ebb, wane

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  2. 1.2lower oneselfBehave in a way that is perceived as unworthy or debased.
     ‘he must really love her to be able to lower himself to this’
     More example sentences

     • ‘He lowers himself and the book by covering these topics.’
     • ‘It makes perfect sense for supermodels to love me, but there's really no reason for them to be lowering themselves to fools like Pete.’
     • ‘I think my greatest disappointment was really the commissioners' behavior with regard to lowering themselves to partisan politics.’
     • ‘Faced with the EU's biggest crisis for two decades - the French and Dutch rejection of the constitution - European politicians and much of the media are lowering themselves to the occasion.’
     • ‘I can't imagine the French lowering themselves to pay more attention to him than the other street performers on Parisian streets.’
     • ‘But does it not say something if they are still trying to get more money by lowering themselves to prostitution?’
     • ‘Apparently that friend saw Lindt's photo on my blog and felt Lindt was lowering himself to be associated with a empty vessel like myself.’
     • ‘She will not regard it as lowering herself, or pandering to the male chauvinist ego.’
     • ‘You have lowered yourself to an extent I didn't think was conceivable.’
     • ‘And so what if the media have lowered themselves to airing snuff films in an effort to boost ratings?’
     Synonyms

     degrade, debase, demean, abase, humble, humiliate, downgrade, discredit, shame, dishonour, disgrace

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intransitive verb

• 1Look angry or sullen; frown.

  ‘the lofty statue lowers at patients in the infirmary’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Two guys worked the kitchen - a dark, lowering, Heathcliffy fellow and a chirpy-looking, more English chap in glasses.’

  Synonyms

  scowl, frown, look sullen, glower, glare, grimace, give someone black looks, look daggers, look angry

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  1. 1.1(of the sky, weather, or landscape) look dark and threatening.
     ‘While their only rivals Sheffield Collegiate overcame the sea fret at Hull, Harrogate raced to beat dark, lowering Wolds cloud at Driffield.’
     More example sentences

     • ‘The sky was a leaden gray, darkening and lowering towards the west, promising rain.’

noun

• 1A scowl.

  1. 1.1A dark and gloomy appearance of the sky, weather or landscape.