English Reference
Idiom idiom

lower the boom

Meaning

To use one's superior physical strength.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Examples
SIMPLE

“The coach will lower the boom on the opposing team.”

CONTEXTUAL

“When the defender saw an opening, he lowered the boom to stop the runner.”

COMPLEX

“The veteran linebacker waited for the perfect moment to lower the boom, effectively ending the opponent's final drive.”

Anchors to
Related idioms3entries
  1. 01

    have one's ears lowered

    To get a haircut.

  2. 02

    lower one's sights

    to lower one's expectations and accept less than one was hoping for or striving toward

  3. 03

    lower the bar

    to lower the standards of quality that are expected of or required for something.

Last updated August 10, 2026