downtown
downtown — adjective
1. found in or describing a city's main business and entertainment district
found in or describing a city's main business and entertainment district
Quan found a small apartment in the downtown area, close to his office.
attributive: downtown + noun (downtown area)
The downtown library is open until eight o'clock every weekday evening.
Élise works at a downtown restaurant that serves Vietnamese and Thai food.
Several downtown hotels offer free shuttle buses to the airport.
A new downtown train station will open next spring near the river.
- suburban
describes residential areas outside the city centre
文法句型
downtown + noun
用法筆記
Only used before a noun (attributive position). Do not write 'This area is downtown' to mean it is a central business area — use the adverb form instead.
常見錯誤
downtown — noun
1. the main business and entertainment quarter of a city, where the largest offices
the main business and entertainment quarter of a city, where the largest offices, shops, and cultural venues are located
Downtown has changed a lot since the new shopping centre was built.
uncountable noun used as a subject without an article
Meera takes the subway from her home in Queens into downtown every morning.
Most of downtown loses electricity whenever there is a major storm.
The city is spending millions to bring more visitors to downtown.
Crime in downtown has dropped by half since the new police chief arrived.
- city centre
British English equivalent; refers to the same concept but less common in American English
- central business district
formal term used in planning and economics; narrower as it focuses on commercial uses only
- urban core
more technical; includes residential as well as commercial parts of the centre
文法句型
in downtown
from downtown
downtown + verb
用法筆記
Usually uncountable. Unlike most nouns, 'downtown' often appears without 'the': 'Downtown is busy.' You may also see 'the downtown' when referring to a specific city's district: 'the downtown of Chicago.'
常見錯誤
downtown — adverb
1. toward or inside a city's main commercial district, particularly where the large
toward or inside a city's main commercial district, particularly where the largest offices and shops are found
Romi took the bus downtown to meet her cousin for lunch at a bakery.
motion verb + downtown without 'to'
Jisoo drives downtown every Saturday to attend a pottery class.
My brother walked all the way downtown because his bicycle had a flat tyre.
The express bus goes downtown in about twenty minutes during light traffic.
Gabriela hurried downtown after class to buy a birthday present for her father.
- uptown
in American English, refers to the residential or less commercial part of a city
- out of town
away from the city centre altogether
文法句型
verb + downtown
downtown as direction without preposition
用法筆記
No preposition is needed before 'downtown'. Say 'go downtown' or 'walk downtown', not 'go to downtown'. This is different from 'go to the city centre' (British English).