1.
to move to a lower place (stairs, a street)
“Go down the stairs slowly.”
“The sun is going down.”
“We went down to the beach.”
Synonyms: to descend, to come down
Phrasal verb
What does go down mean?
Meaning: to move to a lower place; to become lower
B1
This page for:
Quick answer
Go down = to move to a lower place (the stairs, a street). It also means to become lower (prices, the temperature, a level). Prices went down = prices became lower. Go down the stairs = walk down the stairs. It has no direct object.
Meanings of the phrasal verb
2.
to become lower (prices, temperature, a level)
common“Prices went down last month.”
“The temperature is going down.”
Synonyms: to decrease, to fall
3.
to happen or be received (well or badly), informal
idiomatic“How did the meeting go down?”
“The joke didn't go down well.”
Synonyms: to be received, to happen
Word order
Intransitive (no object)
This phrasal verb does not take an object.
Forms
- Present Simple:
- go down
- Past Simple:
- went down
- Past participle:
- gone down
- -ing form:
- going down
Common mistakes to avoid
Go down or come down?
Go down = to move down, away from the speaker (or a neutral movement). Come down = to move down, towards the speaker. Go down to the kitchen (said from upstairs) / Come down to dinner! (said from downstairs).
Go down or get down?
Go down = to move or become lower in general (stairs, prices). Get down = to leave a high place (a chair, a tree). Prices went down ✓ / Get down from the chair ✓. Prices got down ❌.
Practice quiz
Question 1 / 3The Big Challenge question bank
Related pages: go down
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
What's next?
Go down: you understand the rule. Now practise it.
Understanding a rule is only the first step. On PLAY, you use it in real situations, at your own pace, until it becomes automatic.
Practise “go down” on PLAYFree · No sign-up · 3 minutes
For teachersGo down: a ready-to-use lesson sequence
The Academy gives you step-by-step exercises, answer keys and a tracking dashboard: you keep the teaching, and the tool takes care of the practice and the marking.
Discover the Academy30-day free trial · No bank card needed
English contestGo down: often tested in the English contest
Instead of another class test, your students answer questions based on the CEFR levels, in a contest that brings the whole school together.
Register my students5,000 students every year · Primary and secondary
Frequently asked questions
What does go down mean?+
Go down has three main meanings: (1) to move to a lower place (the stairs, the sun); (2) to become lower (prices, the temperature); (3) to be received well or badly (the joke went down well). The first meaning is literal; the others are figurative but common.
What is the difference between go down and come down?+
Go down = a movement away from the speaker, or a neutral movement. Come down = a movement towards the speaker. Come down to dinner! (said by someone in the kitchen downstairs) / Go down to the basement (said by someone on the ground floor).
Is go down separable?+
No. Go down has no direct object, so you cannot separate it. It is often followed by a place (the stairs, the road) or by nothing.
What is the past simple of go down?+
Went down. The temperature went down last night = it became colder last night. Went is the irregular Past Simple of go (go / went / gone).
What does go down well mean?+
It means people like something (an audience, a teacher, a boss). The presentation went down well = people liked the presentation. The opposite is go down badly: people did not like it.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/phrasal-verbs/go-down
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.