down·stairs ˈdau̇n-ˌsterz 
: situated on the main, lower, or ground floor of a building
down·stairs ˈdau̇n-ˈsterz
ˈdau̇n-ˌsterz
plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: the lower floor of a building
Examples of downstairs in a Sentence
Adverb He ran downstairs to answer the door. He lives downstairs from us. “Where are the kids?” “They're downstairs.” Adjective There are five downstairs rooms.
Recent Examples on the Web
Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026 Other rooms downstairs include the B-Movie Bathroom, ’Naynay’s Kitchen of Progress and the ’80s & ’90s Food Culture Hall of Fame dining room, which is illuminated by a Pizza Hut pendant. —Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026 Victim Barbara Hall was in a downstairs bedroom of the two-story brick building. —Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026 Doris and Ann, the family’s longtime upstairs-downstairs maids, were there too. —Jennifer Cannon, Vanity Fair, 7 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for downstairs
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
There’s a definite dichotomy between upstairs and downstairs. —Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026 Other rooms downstairs include the B-Movie Bathroom, ’Naynay’s Kitchen of Progress and the ’80s & ’90s Food Culture Hall of Fame dining room, which is illuminated by a Pizza Hut pendant. —Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Robert Harris, the child’s grandfather, said the boys’ mother and father were sleeping upstairs when the fire began, while the boys were downstairs, according to WLS-TV. —Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026 Victim Barbara Hall was in a downstairs bedroom of the two-story brick building. —Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
Noun
The upstairs-downstairs dynamic of the club primes us to think of the associations between the characters in a transactional way. —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026 Doris and Ann, the family’s longtime upstairs-downstairs maids, were there too. —Jennifer Cannon, Vanity Fair, 7 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for downstairs
Cite this Entry
“Downstairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/downstairs. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
downstairs
1 of 3 adverb
down·stairs ˈdau̇n-ˈsta(ə)rz
-ˈste(ə)rz
: down the stairs : on or to a lower floor
downstairs
2 of 3 adjective
down·stairs -ˌsta(ə)rz
-ˌste(ə)rz
: situated on a lower level or on the main or first floor
downstairs
3 of 3 singular or plural noun
down·stairs ˈdau̇n-ˈsta(ə)rz
-ˈste(ə)rz,
-ˌsta(ə)rz,
-ˌste(ə)rz
: the lower floor of a building
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