low

[ loh ]

/ loʊ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR low ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, low·er, low·est.

situated, placed, or occurring not far above the ground, floor, or base: a low shelf.

of small extent upward; not high or tall: A low wall surrounds the property.

not far above the horizon, as a planet: The moon was low in the sky.

lying or being below the general level: low ground.

designating or pertaining to regions near sea level, especially near the sea: low countries.

bending or passing far downward; deep: a low bow.

(of a garment) low-necked; décolleté: The dress she wore was fashionably low.

rising but slightly from a surface: a low relief on a frieze.

of less than average or normal height or depth, as a liquid or stream: The river is low this time of year.

near the first of a series: a low number.

ranked near the beginning or bottom on some scale of measurement: a low income bracket.

indicating the bottom or the point farthest down: the low point in his creative life.

lacking in strength, energy, or vigor; feeble; weak: to feel low and listless.

providing little nourishment or strength, as a diet.

of small number, amount, degree, force, intensity, etc.: low visibility; a generator with a low output.

indicated or represented by a low number: A low latitude is one relatively near the equator.

soft: subdued; not loud: a low murmur.

Music. produced by relatively slow vibrations, as sounds; grave in pitch.

assigning or attributing little worth, value, excellence, or the like: a low estimate of a new book.

containing a relatively small amount: a diet low in starches.

nearing depletion; not adequately supplied: low on funds; Our stock of towels is low.

depressed or dejected: low spirits.

far down in the scale of rank or estimation; humble: of low birth.

of inferior quality or character: a low grade of fabric; a low type of intellect.

lacking in dignity or elevation, as of thought or expression.

mean, base, or disreputable: low tricks; low companions.

coarse or vulgar: entertainment of a low sort.

Boxing. struck or delivered below a contestant's belt.

Biology. having a relatively simple structure; not complex in organization.

Phonetics. (of a vowel) articulated with a relatively large opening above the tongue, as the vowels of hat, hut, hot, ought, etc. Compare high(def 23).

Automotive. of, relating to, or operating at the gear transmission ratio at which the drive shaft moves at the lowest speed with relation to the speed of the engine crankshaft, used especially for temporarily overcoming the weight or inertia of the vehicle; first: low gear.

Baseball. (of a pitched ball) passing the plate at a level below that of the batter's knees: a low curve.

Cards. having less value than other cards: a low card.

Metallurgy. having a relatively small amount of a specified constituent (usually used in combination): low-carbon steel.

Chiefly British. holding to Low Church principles and practices.

adverb, low·er, low·est.

in or to a low position, point, degree, etc.: The raiders crouched low in the bushes.

near the ground, floor, or base; not aloft: The plane flew low.

in or to a humble or abject state: Some live low while others live high. She swore she would bring him low.

in or to a condition of depletion, prostration, or death: The gas in the tank is running low.

at comparatively small cost; cheaply: to buy something low and sell it high.

at or to a low pitch, volume, intensity, etc.: to turn the radio low; lights turned down low.

in a low tone; softly; quietly; to speak low.

Archaic. far down in time; late.

noun

something that is low, as ground or prices: numerous marshy lows in the forest; the recent low in the stock market.

Automotive. low gear; first gear.

Meteorology. an atmospheric low-pressure system; cyclone. Compare high(def 37).

Cards.

the lowest trump card.
a card of small value, or of lower value than other cards.
the lowest score in a game.
a player having such a score.

a point of deepest decline, vulgarity, etc.: a new low in tastelessness.

Slang. a period of intense depression or discomfort, when the effects of a drug have subsided.

Idioms for low

lay low,

to overpower or kill; defeat: to lay one's attackers low.
to knock down; make prostrate.
Informal. to lie low.

lie low,

to conceal oneself: He had to lie low for a while.
to do nothing until the right opportunity develops; bide one's time: Until the dispute is settled, you would do best to lie low.

Origin of low

1125–75; Middle English lowe, lohe (adj. and noun), earlier lāh < Old Norse lāgr (adj.); cognate with Old Frisian lēge, lēch, Dutch laag, Old High German laege; akin to lie²

SYNONYMS FOR low

13 exhausted, sinking, expiring, dying.

17 quiet.

18 deep.

22 dispirited, unhappy, sad.

23 lowly, meek, obscure.

26 ignoble, degraded, servile.

27 rude, crude. See mean².

SEE SYNONYMS FOR low ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR low

1–3 high.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR low ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM low

low·ish, adjective low·ness, noun o·ver·low·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH low

low lowly

Words nearby low

lovey-dovey, loving, loving cup, loving-kindness, lovingest, low, low beam, low blood pressure, low blow, low board, low boiling point

Definition for low (2 of 4)

low ²

[ loh ]

/ loʊ /

verb (used without object)

to utter the deep, low sound characteristic of cattle; moo.

verb (used with object)

to utter by or as by lowing.

noun

the act or the sound of lowing: the low of a distant herd.

Origin of low

before 1000; Middle English lowen, Old English hlōwan; cognate with Dutch loeien, Old High German hluoen, Old Saxon hlōian; akin to Old Norse Hlōi proper name (literally, bellower, shouter), Latin clāmāre to call out

Definition for low (3 of 4)

low ³

or lowe

[ loh ]

/ loʊ /

verb (used without object) British Dialect.

to burn; blaze.

(of a person) to feel strong emotions; glow with excitement.

Origin of low

1300–50; Middle English < Old Norse loga to flame, log a flame, akin to German lohen (v.), Lohe (noun), Latin lūcēre (v.), lūx (noun) light¹

Definition for low (4 of 4)

Low

[ loh ]

/ loʊ /

noun

David,1891–1963, English political cartoonist, born in New Zealand.

Juliette,1860–1927, founder of Girl Scouts in the U.S.

Seth,1850–1916, U.S. political reformer, educator, and politician.

Example sentences from the Web for low

The pulps brought new readers to serious fiction, making it less intimidating with alluring art and low prices.

How Pulp Fiction Saved Literature |Wendy Smith |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Fleshy breasts taunted him from low bikini tops, and fleshy thighs sloped from bikini bottoms.

Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’ |Asawin Suebsaeng |January 7, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Like him, they identified the Airbus A320 as an airplane extremely well fitted to low cost airline operations in Asia.

Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501 |Clive Irving |January 6, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
When they invade new territory, populations are low, and the queen has limited mate options.

Mongooses, Meerkats, and Ants, Oh My! Why Some Animals Keep Mating All in the Family |Helen Thompson |December 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

One report has the AirAsia Airbus flying at a speed very close to what would trigger a low speed stall.

Did Bad Weather Bring Down AirAsia 8501? |Clive Irving |December 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Sweet and low the name sounded from her lips and his heart thrilled.

The Viking Blood |Frederick William Wallace
If his corn yield was low, he would learn how to get a larger yield.

The New Education |Scott Nearing
"I fear that the spending of thousands can do no good," said Mr. Low.

Phineas Redux |Anthony Trollope
Both bluebirds were on a low tree, about a foot apart, uttering constantly the mournful notes I had heard.

In Nesting Time |Olive Thorne Miller
The English minsters are long, narrow and low in contrast with the greater squareness and height of French contemporary churches.

The Brochure Series of Architectural Illustration, vol. 06, No. 12, December 1900 |Various

British Dictionary definitions for low (1 of 3)

low ¹

/ (ləʊ) /

adjective

having a relatively small distance from base to top; not tall or high a low hill; a low building

situated at a relatively short distance above the ground, sea level, the horizon, or other reference positionlow cloud
(in combination)low-lying

involving or containing a relatively small amount of somethinga low supply
(in combination)low-pressure

having little value or quality
(in combination)low-grade

of less than the usual or expected height, depth, or degree low temperature

(of numbers) small
(of measurements) expressed in small numbers

unfavourable a low opinion

not advanced in evolution a low form of plant life

deep a low obeisance

coarse or vulgar a low conversation

inferior in culture or status
(in combination)low-class

in a physically or mentally depressed or weakened state

designed so as to reveal the wearer's neck and part of the bosom a low neckline

with a hushed tone; quiet or soft a low whisper

of relatively small price or monetary value low cost

music relating to or characterized by a relatively low pitch

(of latitudes) situated not far north or south of the equator

having little or no money

abject or servile

phonetics of, relating to, or denoting a vowel whose articulation is produced by moving the back of the tongue away from the soft palate or the blade away from the hard palate, such as for the a in English father Compare high (def. 22)

(of a gear) providing a relatively low forward speed for a given engine speed

(usually capital) of or relating to the Low Church

adverb

in a low position, level, degree, intensity, etc to bring someone low

at a low pitch; deep to sing low

at a low price; cheaply to buy low

lay low

to cause to fall by a blow
to overcome, defeat or destroy

lie low

to keep or be concealed or quiet
to wait for a favourable opportunity

noun

a low position, level, or degree an all-time low

an area of relatively low atmospheric pressure, esp a depression

electronics the voltage level in a logic circuit corresponding to logical zero Compare high (def. 40)

Derived forms of low

lowness, noun

Word Origin for low

C12 lāh, from Old Norse lāgr; related to Old Frisian lēch low, Dutch laag

British Dictionary definitions for low (2 of 3)

low ²

/ (ləʊ) /

noun Also: lowing

the sound uttered by cattle; moo

verb

to make or express by a low or moo

Word Origin for low

Old English hlōwan; related to Dutch loeien, Old Saxon hlōian

British Dictionary definitions for low (3 of 3)

Low

/ (ləʊ) /

noun

Sir David. 1891–1963, British political cartoonist, born in New Zealand: created Colonel Blimp See blimp 2

Idioms and Phrases with low

low

In addition to the idioms beginning with low

low blow
low boiling point
low man on the totem pole
low profile

also see:

at a low ebb
(low) boiling point
high and low
keep a low profile
lay someone low
lie low

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

low

adjective, low·er, low·est.

adverb, low·er, low·est.

noun

Idioms for low

Origin of low

SYNONYMS FOR low

ANTONYMS FOR low

OTHER WORDS FROM low

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH low

Words nearby low

Definition for low (2 of 4)

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of low

Definition for low (3 of 4)

or lowe

verb (used without object) British Dialect.

Origin of low

Definition for low (4 of 4)

noun

Example sentences from the Web for low

British Dictionary definitions for low (1 of 3)

adjective

adverb

noun

Derived forms of low

Word Origin for low

British Dictionary definitions for low (2 of 3)

noun Also: lowing

verb

Word Origin for low

British Dictionary definitions for low (3 of 3)

noun

Idioms and Phrases with low

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

low

adjective, low·er, low·est.

adverb, low·er, low·est.

noun

Idioms for low

Origin of low

SYNONYMS FOR low

ANTONYMS FOR low

OTHER WORDS FROM low

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH low

Words nearby low

Definition for low (2 of 4)

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of low

Definition for low (3 of 4)

or lowe

verb (used without object) British Dialect.

Origin of low

Definition for low (4 of 4)

noun

Words related to low

Example sentences from the Web for low

British Dictionary definitions for low (1 of 3)

adjective

adverb

noun

Derived forms of low

Word Origin for low

British Dictionary definitions for low (2 of 3)

noun Also: lowing

verb

Word Origin for low

British Dictionary definitions for low (3 of 3)

noun

Idioms and Phrases with low