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take down

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take someone or something down

to move someone or something to a lower position or level. The boss is downstairs and wants to meet our visitor. Will you take her down? The way down to the lobby is confusing. Let me take down our visitor. Let me take the sandwiches down.

See also: down, take

take something down

 

1. to take some large or complicated things apart. They plan to take all these buildings down and turn the land into a park. Do they plan to take down the television broadcasting tower?

2. to write something down in something. Please take these figures down in your notebook. Take down these figures in your record of this meeting.

See also: down, take

take down somebody

also take somebody down

1. to spoil or destroy someone's life Some journalists just want to find a celebrity's weak points and take him or her down. She claims there was a government plot to take down outspoken community leaders.

2. to defeat a competitor Today in tennis, Martinez easily took down Kournikova to win the championship.

See also: down, take

take down somebody/something

also take somebody/something down

to remove a person or group from a position of power Stockholders are hoping to take down the company's management team. Bush decided it was up to American forces to take Saddam down.

See also: down, take

take down something

also take something down

to destroy an aircraft as it is flying The helicopter was taken down by enemy guns.

See also: down, take

take down

1. Bring from a higher position to a lower one, as in After the sale they took down all the signs. [c. 1300]

2. Take apart, dismantle, as in They took down the scaffolding. [Mid-1500s]

3. Humble or humiliate; see take down a notch.

4. Record in writing, as in Please take down all these price quotations. [Early 1700s]

See also: down, take

take down

v.

1. To bring something to a lower position from a higher one: Take the book down from the shelf. The store took down all the signs after the sale ended.

2. To dismantle something that is standing: In the morning, we took down the tents and put them in our backpacks. The workers took the Halloween display down and put up one for Thanksgiving.

3. To lower someone's arrogance or self-esteem: The opposing team really took him down during the final game. They were so good that they took down each member of our debate team.

4. To write something one has heard or observed: I took down every word they said so I could review the conversation later. The stenographer took the speech down and transcribed it.

See also: down, take