36. Focus on: phrasal verbs with the particle down

The particle down is used in many phrasal verbs and has many meanings. Down can be used to say that something literally moves from a higher position to a lower position or from north to south:

Bob went down the ladder.

His friends came down from Canada.

Sit down; dinner is ready.

that something decreases in size, intensity, quantity, or quality:

Her fever has gone down to 100 degrees.

The doctor gave her a sedative to calm her down.

We've narrowed the list down to three choices.

that something or someone is fought, defeated, or overpowered:

Hank backed down when he saw my shotgun.

The police cracked down on street crime.

that something falls to the ground:

The boy was running and fell down.

The warehouse burned down.

Open the door or I'll break it down!

or that a process or activity is ending or has ended:

My car broke down on the highway.

The FBI tracked down the spy.

The campaign is winding down.

1. backdown p.v. When one side in a disagreement stops making threats and lets the other have what it wants or do what it wants, the side that stops making threats backs down.

The dictator didn't back down after the United Nations Security Council voted in favor of sending in troops.

The police officer tried to force me to pay him a bribe, but when I said I would report him to the chief of police, he backed down.

1. calm ... down p.v. When you calm down, you become less active, nervous, or upset. When you calm other people down, you do something to make them less active, nervous, or upset. Settle down is similar to calm down.

I was very nervous about the test, but I calmed down when I saw how easy it was.

Mike tried to calm his sister down after she had a fight with her husband.

2. calm ... down p.v. When a confused or violent situation becomes less confused or violent, it calms down. When you calm a confused or violent situation down, you make it less confused or violent and more calm. Settle down is similar to calm down.

The neighborhood where the riot occurred calmed down after the army started patrolling the streets.

A conference between the two sides was organized to try to calm the situation down.