take down a notch
To cause a person's or group's self-esteem or importance to be decreased.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“His arrogance was annoying, so someone finally took him down a notch.”
“The team had been winning every game, but their recent loss took them down a notch.”
“After the manager boasted about his supposed brilliance, the board of directors took him down a notch by questioning his recent financial failures.”
- 01
a notch above
superior to; of a higher quality than
- 02
be taken ill
To become ill.
- 03
cross to take up
Alternative form of cross to bear.
- 04
forget to take one's medication this morning
To be annoyed or irritable, or to behave in an ill-mannered way, particularly in the morning.
- 05
get taken in
To be fooled; to fall for.
- 06
give and take
A process of compromise or accommodation.
- 07
give someone an inch and someone will take a mile
Alternative form of give them an inch and they'll take a mile.
- 08
have one's name taken
To receive a yellow card.
Last updated August 10, 2026