go down

3 meanings

Meanings
  1. 1 become lower in price, value, or amount B1
  2. 2 be received or accepted by people in a certain way B2
  3. 3 become ill with a sickness or infection B2
1 go down

become lower in price, value, or amount

B1

What does "go down" mean in this sense?

To go down means that something becomes smaller in number, value, or amount. It is used for all kinds of measurable things — prices, temperatures, interest rates, crime levels, and many more. This phrasal verb is very common in everyday speech and in news and financial reporting, so you will hear and read it often. It often appears with adverbs like 'slightly', 'sharply', or 'steadily' to show how much something decreases, and with time expressions like 'recently' or 'over the past year' to show when. In informal conversation, native speakers often choose 'go down' over more formal words like 'decrease' or 'fall'.

Examples

How to use it

subject (measurable thing) + go down

The most common pattern — a quantity or value decreases on its own, with no object needed.

Sales have gone down quite a bit this quarter.

subject + go down + by + amount

Use 'by' to say exactly how much something decreases.

The temperature went down by ten degrees overnight.

subject + go down + to + number/level

Use 'to' to specify the new, lower level that something reaches.

Unemployment has gone down to its lowest level in a decade.

subject + go down + adverb (slightly / sharply / steadily)

Degree adverbs come after 'go down' to describe the speed or size of the decrease.

Petrol prices have gone down steadily over the last few months.

subject + go down + time expression

Time expressions show when or over what period the decrease happened.

The crime rate went down significantly last year.

Common Collocations

prices go downinterest rates go downtemperature goes downcosts go downunemployment goes downthe number goes down

Common Mistakes

Using 'go down' as a transitive verb

'Go down' cannot take an object — you cannot use it to say that someone caused a decrease. If you want to say that a person or organisation made something decrease, use 'bring down' or 'reduce' instead.

✗ The company went down their prices.
✓ The company brought down their prices. / The company reduced their prices.
Confusing 'go down' with 'bring down'

'Go down' describes something that decreases on its own, while 'bring down' means someone deliberately causes a decrease. The subject of 'go down' is the thing that decreases; the subject of 'bring down' is the person or group causing the change.

✗ The government went down interest rates.
✓ The government brought down interest rates. / Interest rates went down.
Using 'go down' in the passive

Because 'go down' has no object, it cannot be made passive. There is no object to put at the start of a passive sentence.

✗ Prices were gone down last month.
✓ Prices went down last month.

Usage

This phrasal verb is neutral in register and works equally well in everyday conversation and formal writing. It is often paired with degree adverbs like 'slightly', 'sharply', or 'steadily' to describe how much something decreases.

2 go down

be received or accepted by people in a certain way

B2

Sense 2: What does "go down" mean?

This sense of 'go down' describes how something — a speech, joke, idea, decision, or performance — is received or reacted to by people. The key question is whether the audience, crowd, or group responds positively or negatively. Unlike many phrasal verbs, this one almost always needs an adverb like 'well' or 'badly' to complete the meaning, since that adverb tells you how it was received. It is particularly common in British English, both in everyday conversation and in media commentary about public reactions. The subject is typically something communicated or performed, not a person moving somewhere or a price changing.

Examples

How to use it

something + go down + well/badly

The most common pattern — the adverb 'well' or 'badly' is almost always needed to show how something was received.

His apology went down well with most of the team.

something + go down + well/badly + with + group

Add 'with + audience/group' to specify who received it that way.

The new uniform policy went down badly with the staff.

something + go down + a storm / a treat

These informal British English idioms mean something was received extremely positively.

Her opening act went down a storm at the festival.

something + go down + like a lead balloon

This fixed expression means something was received very badly or met with complete silence.

The manager's joke about unpaid overtime went down like a lead balloon.

how + did/will + something + go down

Use this question form to ask about the reception of something, often followed by 'with' and a group.

How did the announcement go down with shareholders?

Common Collocations

go down wellgo down badlygo down a stormgo down like a lead balloongo down well with the audiencego down well with voters

Common Mistakes

Missing the reception adverb

Because this phrasal verb is intransitive, learners sometimes drop the adverb entirely, leaving the sentence incomplete or ambiguous. You almost always need 'well', 'badly', or a similar expression to anchor this meaning.

✗ The proposal went down at the meeting.
✓ The proposal went down well at the meeting.
Confusing this sense with 'go down' meaning decrease

When 'go down' means to decrease, it is followed by numbers or quantities. When it means to be received, it is followed by 'well', 'badly', or a similar adverb — making the context very different.

✗ Sales went down badly last quarter. (if you mean they decreased)
✓ The sales pitch went down badly with the clients. (= was received poorly) / Sales went down last quarter. (= decreased)
Using a continuous tense

Progressive forms like 'is going down' sound unnatural for this sense. Use simple tenses instead — simple past, present simple, or future simple.

✗ The speech is going down really well with the crowd.
✓ The speech went down really well with the crowd.

Usage

'Go down well/badly' is mostly British English; American English speakers tend to say 'go over well/badly' for the same meaning. In very informal British English, 'go down a storm' means something was received extremely positively.

3 go down with sth

become ill with a sickness or infection

B2

Sense 3: What does "go down with sth" mean?

To go down with an illness means to become sick with it — you've caught it and are now suffering from its effects. It's typically used when someone has been struck by a named disease or infection, such as flu, chickenpox, or a stomach bug. The phrase is particularly common in British English and appears naturally when describing illness spreading through a group, such as a school class or a workplace. It works in both spoken conversation and written messages like emails to explain someone's absence. The key idea is that the illness has taken hold — the person has succumbed to it.

Examples

How to use it

subject + go down with + illness

The core pattern: a person or group becomes ill with a named disease or general term for illness.

Three members of the team went down with food poisoning after the conference dinner.

collective subject + go down with + illness

Especially natural when describing illness spreading through a group of people.

Half the class went down with chickenpox before the end of term.

subject + have gone down with + illness

The present perfect is very common when reporting recent illness, especially in the context of ongoing absences.

Several of our colleagues have gone down with a nasty virus this week.

subject + be going down with + illness

The present continuous can suggest illness is just beginning or actively spreading through a group.

I think I'm going down with something — I've had a headache all day.

subject + go down (context already clear)

When the illness has already been mentioned, the 'with + illness' part can be dropped naturally.

There's a bug going round the school and several pupils have already gone down.

Common Collocations

go down with flugo down with a coldgo down with a stomach buggo down with COVIDgo down with chickenpoxgo down with a virus

Common Mistakes

British vs American English

American English speakers almost always say 'come down with' rather than 'go down with'. If you're writing or speaking for an American audience, 'go down with' may sound unusual, so 'come down with' is the safer choice in that context.

Dropping 'with' before the illness

You must include 'with' before naming the illness — the three parts work as a fixed unit. Leaving out 'with' changes the meaning entirely, since 'go down' alone means something completely different.

✗ She went down flu last week.
✓ She went down with flu last week.
Using the passive

Because the subject is always the person who falls ill, this phrasal verb cannot be used in the passive voice. The person is the experiencer, not the recipient of an action.

✗ Flu was gone down with by half the staff.
✓ Half the staff went down with flu.

Usage

This phrasal verb is mainly British English; if you're speaking or writing for an American audience, use 'come down with' instead. It is neutral in register and works equally well in conversation and in written messages such as workplace emails.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'go down' always mean decrease? I've heard it used in different ways.

No, 'go down' has several meanings in English. For example, it can mean that a computer system has stopped working, that food or drink is swallowed, or that something was received in a certain way (e.g. 'The joke went down well'). However, these senses are easy to tell apart because the subject is different — for the decrease meaning, the subject is always something measurable, like a price, rate, or level.

What kinds of things can 'go down' in this meaning?

Almost anything that can be measured or tracked can 'go down' — for example, prices, costs, interest rates, temperatures, crime levels, unemployment, blood pressure, and demand. As long as the subject is something you can put a number on, 'go down' is likely to work naturally.

Can I say 'prices have been going down for years'?

This sentence is understandable, but the present perfect continuous sounds a little awkward here. It is more natural to say 'prices have gone down a lot in recent years' (present perfect) or 'prices went down steadily over that period' (simple past). For ongoing trends, the simple present perfect is usually the better choice.

What adverbs go well with 'go down' in this meaning?

Common adverbs include 'slightly', 'sharply', 'steadily', 'significantly', 'gradually', and 'dramatically'. These come after 'go down' and tell you how much or how quickly something decreased — for example, 'The cost went down sharply' or 'Demand has gone down slightly'.

Is 'go down' informal, or can I use it in writing too?

'Go down' is neutral in tone and is perfectly natural in both spoken conversation and formal writing such as news articles, reports, and academic texts. You might see it in a financial news headline just as easily as you would hear it in everyday speech.

Is 'go down well/badly' British English? Do Americans say something different?

Yes, 'go down well/badly' is predominantly British English. American English speakers tend to use 'go over well/badly' to express the same idea. Both are correct, but if you are writing for or speaking to an American audience, 'go over well' may sound more natural to them.

What does 'go down a storm' mean? Is it positive or negative?

'Go down a storm' is a strongly positive British English idiom meaning something was received with huge enthusiasm. If a comedian's set goes down a storm, the audience loved it. It is informal and mainly spoken — you would not normally use it in formal writing.

Can 'go down' in this sense describe a person, or only things like speeches and ideas?

The subject is almost always a thing that is communicated, performed, or decided — a speech, joke, idea, policy, announcement, or performance. A person themselves would not typically 'go down well'; it would be their performance or words that go down well.

Does 'go down' have other meanings? How do I know which one is being used?

Yes, 'go down' has several meanings. The reception sense is signalled by adverbs like 'well' or 'badly', or a phrase like 'with the audience'. Other senses — such as decreasing in price or moving physically downward — involve different contexts entirely and do not use those adverbs.

Can I use 'it' as the subject when I don't want to repeat the full noun?

Yes, 'it' works naturally as the subject when the context is clear. For example, after mentioning a speech, you could say 'It went down really well with the audience.' The adverb is still needed to make the meaning clear.

Is 'go down with' only used in British English?

Yes, it's predominantly British English. American English speakers almost always use 'come down with' instead, which means exactly the same thing. If you're in a British context, 'go down with' sounds completely natural, but switch to 'come down with' for American audiences.

What kinds of illnesses can follow 'go down with'?

You can use specific illness names like flu, chickenpox, measles, tonsillitis, or COVID, as well as general expressions like 'a bug', 'a virus', 'a stomach bug', or 'something nasty'. The illness noun always comes directly after 'with'.

Does 'go down with' mean someone is just starting to get ill, or already ill?

It implies that the illness has already taken hold — the person has succumbed to it. There's a slight difference from 'come down with', which can sometimes emphasise the very moment of onset, but in everyday use the two are treated as interchangeable.

Can I use 'go down with' to talk about groups of people?

Absolutely — in fact, it's particularly common with collective or plural subjects. Phrases like 'the whole class went down with measles' or 'half the office has gone down with flu' are very natural and reflect how this expression is often used to describe illness spreading through a group.

Is it natural to use 'go down with' in a workplace email?

Yes, it's neutral in register and perfectly appropriate in workplace messages. For example, writing 'Several colleagues have gone down with a stomach bug this week' in an email is completely normal in British English.

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