ENGLISH
REFERENCE

downstairs

adj. place
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈdaʊnˈstɛɹz// down·stairs General-service Humorous Slang

adj. on a lower floor of a building, especially the ground floor of a house. You use this when you are moving to or staying on the level below where you are now.

adj. situated on or relating to a lower floor of a building. Often functions as a locative complement or a modifier of movement.


SIMPLE

I am going downstairs to get a glass of water.

CONTEXTUAL

The kitchen and living room are downstairs, while the bedrooms are on the upper floor.

COMPLEX

After hearing a suspicious thud in the middle of the night, he cautiously crept downstairs to investigate the source of the noise.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From down- + stair + -s.

Usage

Typically follows the verb of motion or the verb 'to be'.

Pitfall

I am going to downstairsI am going downstairsDownstairs is a locative adverb and does not require the preposition 'to' when used with verbs of motion.

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